Song of a Shifter
by pitt-writer7
Summary: Dear Sam, 15 years and I don't know who my father is. I haven't phased so I can't be too much like you. Everyone says you were great but all I know is you're a picture of some teenage boy that broke mom's heart. Mom as in Leah. Not your Emily... L.L.U
1. Leonard's Ballad:1

**A/N: **Important! This story follows the events of The Dimprint series so if you haven't read those stories, this may get a little confusing. Okay it'll probably get alot confusing just FYI :)

To any Clue readers: that story uses a lot more of my logical thinking :p than the others hence it comes out a little slower (still workin on it dont worry)

okay back to this story. The first like 3rd of the story is gonna be in Leonard's POV until well...you'll know when it changes. Um check out my profile for more info on this...okay on with the story! **I Love Reviews**

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I'm the oddball. The weirdo. I'm the most uninteresting amongst a bunch of freaks and it makes me blend in and stand out both at the same time. My parents are dead. Gone. I don't even remember them but everyone around me does. They always tell me that I have my father's exact build and my mother's face. I saw a picture of my mom. She was beautiful. Needless to say, the guys always call me a pretty boy. What a blow to my already fragile ego.

Speaking of the guys…

Despite my lack of biological parents I have an abundance of male comrades and paternal figures. There's my uncle/cousin/father figure Seth. He's the happy go lucky guy in the group. He was cousins with my birth mother. He only looks a few years older than myself but he manages to carry himself at the age he truly is. He's an actively shape shifting wolf. His more friendly approach to parenting is countered with the strict yet still loving affections of my second prominent father figure Tre. The guy's a shape shifting panther yet I hold the utmost respect for him. The other guys in our pack, Collin and Brady are more along the lines of older brothers with whom I have a love-hate relationship goin on. Not to mention their bromance they have makes me disoriented. If they're not bugging someone they're fawning over my sister/cousins. Seth has a wife, her name is Tamyra and she just happens to be Tre's sister. They have a daughter, Sahara. She's only a few months younger than I am. Her best friend is Tre's daughter, Emileah. We've all grown up as siblings. I suppose I feel closer to Emileah though because of the sole most respected person in my life.

My god mother Leah.

I don't mind calling her godmother. I really want to just call her my mother. That's what she's been to me. She raised me. Took me in and cared for me even when my father didn't bother. She always tried to assure me that my father loved me. I don't have the heart to tell her I don't believe her. I don't have much resentment for my birth mother since she didn't live long enough to do me wrong. My father had a few months to hand me off to different women on the rez then in his dying moments had the nerve to ask Leah, my mother and his ex girlfriend, to care for me.

Even I know how messed up that is.

But I'm grateful. Who knows that if my biologicals had raised me that I wouldn't have grown up to be a pompous idiot forever trying to live up to the reps of loving Emily Young and golden child Sam Uley…

I digress.

I probably shouldn't blame them for dying. It's not like my mother could decipher the _cryptic_ dream featuring my uncle…or grand uncle, or my father sacrificing himself to meet up with his imprint sooner.

Imprinting.

I'm not sure if I hate it or not. I'm not even sure if I understand it. I know that Brady imprinted on Sahara before she was born and that Collin did the same to Emileah a few months after her birth, much to my mother's dismay. They looked like they belonged together but I just couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that the guys were nearly 16 years older than their soul mates. Then there's Seth and Tamyra. There's a lifetime of Kodak moments right there.

The perfect happy imprint couple.

Married. Happily Ever After. The end.

I'd love it for my sisters if I was completely certain that was how they would end up. But then there's Leah and Tre.

I would've never guessed them to be imprinted. They weren't the lovey dovey, eye gazing, sexually driven imprint couple. Tre imprinted on my mother yet they aren't into each other. It's weird I assure you but they have a type of devotion to each other that seems to burn more passionately than the others. As if they have a foundation that none of the others ever had. Their connection worked on a deeper level and it caused them to be the two most talented and cooperative leaders in our world.

_Our_ world? What a joke.

Our-their pack harbored royalty in the shape shifting world, with Leah, Tre, Seth and Tamyra at the top. Emileah and Sahara were idols, princesses with Collin and Brady as their part time princes and part time court jesters.

I on the other hand was just some orphan who was taken in by Leah good graces. Who longed to be part of the world completely.

Because I was 16 and had yet to phase.

That's right. I'm still human. I'm the first kid born to an imprinted couple in years. Imprinting meaning to create stronger wolves yet I haven't even become a wolf. Everyone's tried to assure me that I have nothing to worry about because my dad didn't change until he was 19. That the wolves in LaPush changed younger only because of the increase in vampire traffic. That I may not even have to phase.

That last bit came from Leah.

She gave me that look that said, "Be careful what you wish for". She didn't understand why anyone would _want_ to phase. Although she seems content with her life I know that she longs for a normal one. I on the other hand feel completely excluded being the only human in this pack. I'm the fragile one, the one that gets put on phone/messenger duty once a battle or mission starts. The one that has to be carried up the steep mountain by his little sister when the pack goes climbing to higher altitude.

No joke, one of the most humiliating times of my life.

"_Just be grateful it's Sahara carrying you and not Emileah." Brady had said after hitting me on the back effectively knocking me out of Sahara's grasp and reminding me that I'm incredibly weaker than my family members_.

That was the day I started weight lifting. The guys had laughed at me at first but once Tre had seen how devoted I was to it, he started helping out. Too bad it didn't do any good. I toned up a little but I still looked puny compared to the others. Who did nothing but run around phasing and eating tons of food. My ego was bruised everyday living with these nomads.

Today we were going to LaPush. We'd been in Central America for the last few weeks when Quil contacted Seth and told him.

"_Billy died. He'd gone in for some type of surgery. The paralysis caused some complications. He died on the table."_ We packed our things and headed out the next day. That was 4 days ago. We would have made it here in three. That is, if we didn't need to stop so much.

My apologies for not having the stamina of a cyborg.

No one seemed to mind much. We spent the time reliving stories of Billy Black. My sisters and I listened mostly while Leah, Seth, Collin, and Brady did most of the talking. Seth focused more on his admiration of the newly deceased. Leah talked more about his sons.

Billy's sons. Jacob Black and Embry Call.

Embry Call was the alpha of the LaPush pack. The same pack that my father was alpha of before Emily died and he deteriorated into a useless human being. I held high esteem for the man. He'd been fatherless his whole life, then he finds out as a teen that he's brothers with his best friend and that he has to claim a birthright he never knew he had. Become chief of LaPush and leader of its protectors. Not only did he rise to the challenge…he exceeded. People said he'd been a better alpha than Sam and Jacob.

Jacob Black. Now that name got my blood boiling and I don't know why. I wouldn't be surprised if seeing him caused my first phase. I guess hearing his story second hand, made it easier for me to judge him. The older pack members all loved him. Said he's the funniest, nicest guy you'd ever meet.

I met him. I was not impressed.

What guy chases a girl that's all over another guy? Your enemy at that. I'd heard about the girl and how my mom had told her off. I agreed with her. If it were me, I wouldn't have even bothered, let Jacob Black dig his own grave. I guess he did. His love is a vampire and he's bound to her half freaky daughter. The guy takes it farther and runs off to Alaska with their family of leeches. Sure it's his imprint but how many signs does it take for you to get a hint from the ancestors that

You were a mistake.

I mean the alpha position is filled by the 'back-up plan', and you get bound to a leech…ultimately binding you to her family of leeches that outnumber you and could kill you with one fell swoop.

Of course I tried explaining this to my family members and they all thought I was crazy. Everyone except for Emileah who thought my idea was ingenious. Sahara thought I was mean and I think she left the room to go pray for me or something. Seth made this face like I'd just shot his puppy, and Brady and Collin looked like I'd just solved the mystery of the universe. I'd only been 14 at the time that I came to my conclusion so my mother decided I wasn't too old for a spanking.

Which she gave to me. And it hurt. Because she doesn't believe in reigning in her wolf strength when it comes to corporal punishment.

But I'd be a wuss if I let my tears show.

Okay one tear came down. But I wiped it away and passed it off as a burning in my eye.

"_Oh, there was a burning alright. A burning on your-"_ Tre had knocked Collin upside the head for that statement.

I've rambled long enough for us to make it to LaPush. We made a quick stop at my "biological's" house. It served as the home for our pack when we passed through. When I was old enough, it would belong to me, although a house meant permanent residence, on the Rez.

And I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.

We grabbed some clothes, everyone changed into mourning clothes since the funeral was going to start in a few hours. I got ready first and decided to peer around. There wasn't any real nostalgia that came with the house since I didn't have any real memories so instead I just reveled in the captured moments of the old pack. There were albums that Emily had put together of when Sam first phased. I found a group photo that had the early pack members back when there was only one pack.

Back before even my mother had phased. Even though her life had already been ruined by then.

"Looking at those pictures again." Emileah was just stating the obvious. She grabbed the album out of my hand before I could even protest and made herself comfortable on the old couch. "Your dad was pretty hot." She said before tossing the album back to me a little too hard, and knocking some air out of my lungs.

"That's kinda gross you know." She just shrugged like people told her that everyday. I wouldn't be surprised."You know if all was right in the world, I would have Leah's facial features." I was hoping I could get under her skin.

"That or I'd be a lighter skin tone." I failed. It was true that she and Sahara were darker than most of us. It was funny how they were the exact mix of the varying degrees of their parents. They were darker than Leah and Seth but lighter than Tre and Tamyra. And their hair, would look totally native with its length but had these natural curls that earned them a lot of attention. My older brother senses were always on high alert. Even if I wasn't much of a challenge for any of their would be suitors.

Scratch that, Emileah's would be suitors. Sahara and Brady had already become official. They were exclusively dating. She'd taken to the imprint stuff completely.

Emileah on the other hand, had taken a lesson out of her mother's book. She had Collin following her around like a homeless puppy. She would openly date other guys ignoring Collin's obvious pain. She pretended to be oblivious to the pain he was in. I'd walked in on him the day Tre caught Emileah and some random elk guy in the act. Collin found out and was bedridden for a week. The guy wasn't even forming coherent sentences anymore by day three.

"_Why do you do that to him?" She tried to pretend she didn't know who I was talking about._

"_I'm not doing it to him." So she was in one of those moods._

"_Couldn't you at least hide it or something?"_

"_He knows the rules…" The rules like there's some guide book to imprinting. "He's whatever I want him to be." I thought my sister had an end to selfishness but apparently it knows no bounds. "And if I don't want him like that, then he has to deal." And harsh. Selfish and harsh._

"He's doing it again." There's Sahara it was only a matter of time before she made her presence known. At least she knocked me out of my flashbacks.

"I know, he always does." Emileah hadn't left the room yet. "He looks at those pictures then he starts mop-

"Moping and pouting. And thinking about how his life sucks-"

"And blah blah blah." Emileah finished for her. Did I love my sisters? I turned around to see them both smiling at me. "Look on the bright side _Leon_."She knows how much I hate it when people call me that. "In a few weeks we'll be headed to Denali to celebrate Sahara's birth, yet ignore mine, and we'll be surrounded by enough bloody leeches and Jacob Black to have you phasing like a mad man." She accentuated the thought with a hard smack to my back. I'm sure it left a hand print. It hurt worst than a Leah spanking.

"Emileah you shouldn't talk about the Cullens like that. Or Jake. Ness wouldn't like it very much." Oh yes, another reason why I preferred Emileah's company to Sahara despite Emileah's abuse. Sahara was BFFs with Jacob Black's imprint Renesmee the Loch Ness Monster Cullen. Between Seth and Sahara, the Cullens were talked about like celebrities. It was sickening. I already had my prejudices in working order. I only needed the wolf heightened sense of smell to justify my disdain for them. Emileah had it since she was a phasing wolf but Sahara was a panther and panthers aren't enemies with vampires. Shame.

"Oh right wouldn't want to offend the uppity bloodsuckers. I mean how lame is that? It's like mosquitoes that have class." I had to laugh. Emileah's sarcasm was better than cable. "I don't suck from middle class citizens. That's just grotesque." She was into her fake British accent. Sahara apparently had enough of Emileah's teasing and had decided to go find Brady.

"Hey Leo," Seth bounded down the stairs trying to fix his tie. "Make sure the girls get ready and you all make it to the ceremony on time. I'm off to pick up Jake, Ness, and Bella from the airport."

"Bella?" Oh please no.

"Yeah she came to pay her respects as well. She knew Billy way back. You know Charlie was best friends with him." I heard Emileah let out a frustrated breath. She figured she'd have to deal with Renesmee's half sick smell but not a full vampire too. I watched Seth run out the door. Emileah's expression matched mine I was sure.

If I didn't know any better I would think that it had been written into our genetics to despise the Cullens.

Oh that's right, it is.

Too bad my genes are pieces of crap.


	2. Leonard's Ballad:2

There was one thing I learned at Billy Black's funeral. It wasn't the fact that the first row of seats was filled by, in consecutive order: Renesmee, Jacob, my godmother, Embry, Tenia, Quil, Claire, Papa Charlie, Nana Sue, and Seth. Nor was it the fact that there were three empty folding chairs around Bella Swan in every direction. It wasn't even the fact that I could feel eyes on me from at least 7 different people every five seconds.

It was the fact that Old Quil was very senile.

Not to sound distasteful, Billy Black, from my few interactions with him, was a great man. A magnificent story teller, and darn good chief. But Old Quil, looked and acted as if he had babysat Moses.

And he was the one officiating the funeral.

The funeral that had nearly gone on for six hours now. My feet had fallen asleep three times. Emileah fell asleep herself, thankfully Sahara had woken her up before she started that wheezing snore she always does. I was tempted to swipe Old Quil's cane that he'd been using to hit anyone with who dared approach him and recommend he wrap up soon. The only good news was that it hadn't rained yet.

"Billy was a good friend of mine…" Oh here we go again. I swear he's said this at least 15 times already. He starts off with that sentence then he starts listing all his friends he's had through the years. Somehow he manages to get to listing off the wolves, his mind is thankfully still intact enough to know he shouldn't outright call the wolves, wolves. Somewhere in there he starts talking about Sam as if he was the second coming and it is at that point that nearly half the attendees, openly stare at me as if by magic, Sam will reappear in my place.

And with one fidget by me from the uncomfortable staring, the murmurs start.

And that's when I start to focus on other things. Like the fact that even though Bella Swan has both the ability to draw humans in and set off their survival instincts, she managed to isolate herself without using either of those abilities.

"_I needed something to shield me from the sunlight. And I can't be recognized by anyone, they'll wonder why I haven't aged." I had heard her explaining to my mother when Seth had fetched the Alaska trio from the airport. That was before I saw what she had decided to come dressed in._

_An all black cape. With a hood And it wasn't just any hood, it was like those large hoods they attach to graduation robes for those receiving their Doctorates._

_She came to a funeral dressed like the Undertaker._

_I'm pretty sure I had such a strong look of confusion on my face, that it wouldn't have surprised me if a question mark appeared above my head. It was at that point that Emileah and Sahara both came outside to see what the fuss was about._

"_Oh dear…" Sahara spoke first, quickly covering her mouth with a hand probably to prevent her first response from coming out and offending her best friend's mother. Emileah didn't even try to hide her snickers. The monstrous hood was pulled up over Bella's head swallowing her face, the only thing visible were her pale lips. _

"_What was she thinking?" Emileah whispered to me not even caring that Bella could probably hear every word. I just shrugged. _Now I couldn't blame the humans-humans as if I'm not one, anyway, I couldn't blame them for not wanting to sit near her. All she needed was a pike or spear and she'd look like the Grim Reaper. Most shared the same reaction that Collin had when he had emerged from the house, his eyes landed on the cloaked figure and he immediately stifled a girly scream.

I held in my chuckle. This was neither the time nor the place for humorous memories even if they occurred only hours before.

"…the least we can do is give these few hours to remember the lifetime of our dear friend and chief Billy Black…" I zoned out again. Wondering how god mom was handling the ceremony. I was surprised that Tre and Tamyra had both opted to sit farther back with us instead of sitting with their "significant others." If godmom was grieving I could only hope that Jacob and Embry were comforting her.

Then I thought about what I'd just thought.

More than likely Jacob and Embry are holding onto godmom as their lifeline. I could hear Nana Sue crying as she clutched onto Papa Charlie's arm. He was barely holding himself together. Seth was there to comfort them both. When Old Quil stopped speaking suddenly, I watched as Jacob and Embry both stood to stand over their father's casket. It was then that I noticed that even Renesmee shed a tear as well. Jacob and Embry lasted all of five seconds before I could see the backside of both their forms begin shaking from the power of their nearly silent sobbing. Godmom, was up before Tenia and Renesmee could even respond. She held the two alphas, one folded into either arm. They were both at least a head taller than her but she had the strength to hold them both as their imprints stood behind them, rubbing their backs.

I suddenly felt isolated. As if I were missing something, as if I were being left out.

I looked to my left and saw that Sahara was tearing up as she watched the scene. Her mother, holding her hand while Brady rested a hand on her shoulder as he was seated behind her. Collin, looking uncomfortable, was seated next to him, directly behind Emileah, who was looking exceptionally bored. It was exaggerated though. She plucked her finger nails as if she were trying to prove a point that the entire scene, the circumstances didn't bother her at all. If I didn't know any better I'd say she was the most unfeeling girl I'd ever met.

Then what did that make me?

I've interacted with Billy much more than either Sahara or Emileah. Why did I feel so little sadness, so little grief? Maybe it's because death was so foreign to me.

Yet so familiar to me at the same time.

Death was for enemies. For the evil shape shifters in the world. For the weaker humans.

Weaker humans…how easily I forget.

No, death was stupid, needless. It was just another outlet for disappointment. I barely registered the Pall Bearers lowering Billy's casket into the ground once it was closed for the last time. All I could think as I watched Renesmee run her hands through the hair of a sobbing Jacob and Embry embrace his friends and family in the first few rows, was that parents had to be the most selfish beings ever…

Who else would be okay to have their kids in anguish during their permanent absence?

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**A/N: **short chap but it'll pick up. oh and I've had questions about Leah/Tre, you'll find out more as the story progresses.


	3. Leonard's Ballad:3

"Leonard is that really you?" I glanced up smiling at the womanly voice. Rachel. I hadn't seen her in a while. I had to admit, I was quite satisfied finally being able to look her in the eye. "My, my look how you've grown." She was genuinely happy to see me I could tell despite the tear stains that were going down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and cloudy, I softened my smile just as she looked away.

"Mommy where's daddy going?" I hadn't noticed the two boys walking on either side of her. Now that I took notice, I found myself in a little bit of awe.

"He's going to speak with some of his friends." Rachel finally looked back at me. "Look Junior, you remember Leonard don't you?" I locked eyes with Junior. At first glance one could assume that the 8 year old was innocent as any other kid but I knew his back story.

Paul junior: the oldest of Rachel and Paul's quadruplets.

Don't get me wrong, they all were a bunch of bebes that looked like Rachel and acted just like Paul, but Paul junior was branded as his father's clone. His eyes narrowed then flickered up and down my body as if he were sizing me up. He refocused on my face then plastered on this slightly evil grin.

"Yeah I remember him." Creepy little kid. I looked over on the other side of Rachel and came in contact with the quieter of the quads, Paulis. Well he's the equivalent of Paul on a good day quiet. Paulis flashed me a quick smile before returning a questioning gaze toward his brother.

"So Ms. Rachel, where's your other two pups?" She smirked.

"They're with Paul…hopefully." I found this direction of conversation to be more comfortable than discussing the obvious funeral that had ended only minutes prior. Rebecca joined us only a few minutes later with Paulie and Pablo in tow. Those two were the hyperactive ones. As they tugged continuously on their aunt's arms I recalled the one time when I was 12 and had recommended the two be prescribed Ritalin.

"_Seriously though, they're needlessly hyperactive." Uncle Seth just looked at me, a little bewildered by my extensive vocabulary. _

"_They're kids, they're supposed to by hyper." He shrugged just as Paulie catapulted himself off of unsuspecting Pablo's bent over frame and landed into Paulis' unwelcoming arms. Their identical bodies tumbled to the ground just as Paul Junior ran and launched himself on top of his two younger brothers. "You were that age once."_

"_I didn't act like that." I protested strongly just as Pablo ran up to the group of boys kicking them and screaming nonsense, knowing that there was no way I was ever capable of being as destructive as the quartet._

"_I dunno you were quite the…well actually you were pretty good kid." Seth laughed to himself as he recalled some private memory that I wasn't allowed in on. "Rachel's got her work cut out for her, that's for sure."_

"The service was beautiful." I hadn't anticipated the words to come out, I just had to force myself out of my vivid flashbacks. Rachel looked at me with a sad smile on her face.

"Yes it was. I'm sure we did dad proud."

"Mommy why are you crying?" Paulis asked, a little worry coating his voice. Junior reached over and punched him.

"Shut up 'Lis! Mom's a girl and it's a funeral. Girls cry at funerals!" Junior explained rolling his eyes just as Paulis reached back over to return a hit.

"I told you to stop calling me 'Lis! It sounds like a girl's name! I'm not a girl!"

"Oh stop whining you little baby!" Pablo said without looking at his brother from his spot next to his aunt.

"I'm not whining-" Paulis said turning to his other brother.

"Stop it boys." I was glad Rebecca finally scolded them_._ "You remember the talk your parents gave you about grandpa and this being his funeral right?" The four instantly looked down to the ground, shame written on their faces. I looked around for any more familiar faces. I excused myself from the Black family circle when Emileah caught my eye but unfortunately I was intercepted by a body much larger than my own.

"Little Sam!" Oh dear God, any Black but this one. I looked up.

"Jacob." I figured I shouldn't disrespect him so soon after he's laid his father to rest.

"How many times do I have to tell you kiddo to call me Jake." He was teasing me, probably to momentarily forget his own heartache and mourning. "But I guess you're not much of kid anymore. Man you are all growing up so fast." His hand landed on my shoulder. I glanced at the offending limb. He continued talking but I zoned out. I glanced over his shoulder and noticed Emileah smirking, no doubt being entertained by my current state. It only got worse. We were soon joined by Renesmee and Bella. Each giving their sentiments and words of astonishment at my ability to age like a normal human being. "So what are your plans after Myra's done homeschooling you?" That question snapped me back to attention. I noticed that three pairs of eyes were on me awaiting my answer with varied degrees of mild interest. I opened my mouth to answer.

"I…uh…" Luckily, Emileah was good for something other than torturing me. She was also very suave and managed to easily change conversation topics that I found uncomfortable.

"Leo's actually thinking about the business side of the Haven project." She said as she joined our circle. "You know our last mission, actually got handled more efficiently thanks to his suggestions." She winked at me. I felt an eyebrow rise slowly for two reasons.

Number one she never winks.

And number two, all this crap coming from her lying mouth right now so smoothly made me seriously wonder about the last mission prep.

"_Leah, why are Brady and I on recon. ..again?!" Collin asked enraged as he tugged on his shifting pants. The light material was very breathable and made the phasing string and whole practice of carrying clothes obsolete. The pants were worn in both forms and didn't rip when a shifter phased. I had no way of knowing but the pack assured me that they barely felt the pants when they phased so it wasn't restricting to movement. Brady had once suggested that I star in a commercial for the pants that started with the line: 'Tired of those awkward naked moments with your friends…' _

"_Because I put you there." Tre answered instead of Leah as he came into the main room of the checkpoint cabin they had been residing in for the last few days. "And because Seth said that you two were the top notch reconnaissance guys back on the Rez." It was obvious Collin was proud about the statement but it was also obvious he still hated being treated like the kid in the pack. He was in his thirties already, and I could bet that Emileah probably sees more action than he does. "Don't worry you'll be rounding us off after you report back. You're on Seth's team this time with Tamyra, Brady's with us." That caused Collin to frown. The pack pretty much split family wise. Seth would lead his and Tamyra's group into whatever hot zone they were going into, with Sahara trailing them and either Collin or Brady. The same went with Tre and Leah. Lately though, Tre had been taking Brady, while Collin went with Seth. He didn't mind following his friend, he just wasn't too fond of not being able to keep a close eye on his imprint during whatever conflict they encountered._

"_You know, Collin and Brady would probably do better if they could be near their imprints on the mission." Tre looked up at me as if I were insane. "I mean you think they'll be distracting but wouldn't it just be more distracting if they spend their whole time wondering what exactly is happening to their soul mates instead of just being right there with them?" Collin had been quick to agree with me when he realized I was helping him._

"So little Sam here has been helping out?"I really needed to stop getting so lost in my flashbacks. "That's great!" Jacob said. Bella was quick to agree although I figured it was done absentmindedly. Renesmee on the other hand looked at me curiously and I instantly got defensive. Oh how I wished I could growl right then and it be seen as being natural.

"Yeah Leo's a great help and a wonderful asset to our team." She glanced at me with that fake smile plastered all over her face. It was the tell tale sign to Sahara that Emileah was now currently lying through her teeth. Sahara made her way over to us, her own curious look being directed towards Emileah who still held fast to Jacob's and Bella's attention. Sahara slipped in next to Renesmee, the half vamp slipping her hand casually onto the younger one's shoulder. I knew that Renesmee was telling something to Sahara through her power because Sahara nodded a few times.

"I'm sure Embry would be glad to show him the ropes with the school if he's interested in that part of the project." Jacob suggested to something Emileah had just said. I blanched realizing that they were still talking about me. I didn't want to be discussed any longer so I excused myself. I had intended on finding a solitary room in one of the pack's houses, that was until someone grabbed my shoulder.

"Leo, Leah wants to speak to you." I simply nodded as I turned to face my father figure.

"Where is she?"

"Billy Black's house." Tre said before joining the small group that I'd just vacated. I stuck my hands in my pockets as I made my way to the Black house. It was small and raggedy. Most of the houses on the Rez had gotten renovated within the decade, with more money flowing into the tribe from the Haven project. Embry had offered to fix up Billy's place first but he declined saying that Embry should focus the money on the Haven residents first then on the needy ones of the tribe. The front door was opened when I arrived and I instantly heard many voices inside.

"Leo come in." I smiled when my godmother acknowledged my presence before I even made it inside. I was surprised to see not only her but Nana Sue, Old Quil, Embry, Tenia, Paul, and Jared. I faltered mid stride when their talking all came to a stop as I entered.

"What's going on everybody?" I knew I sound unsure but that was because I didn't know what to expect from this somewhat serious gathering. I looked to god mom for answers but she wasn't looking directly at me.

"Leo, baby perhaps I should explain." Nana Sue said as she slowly took a few steps forward. She had gotten frail in the past few years. I cringed as I heard her bones creak. Creaking bones was a sign of weakness, of age, of- "You know about the Council of Elders right?" I nodded. Of course I knew about them. Embry led them under the guidance of both Old Quil and Billy Black until now. "Your father was briefly a member. He was supposed to join as a full time Elder once he ceased his phasing. And Seth, if he ever decides to, will take his father's place once I am no longer able to." I nodded again to signify that I understood. She paused before continuing. "With Billy's passing and the current Council getting older, we need younger people to step up." Uh oh I think I know where this is going. "I'm getting older, Old Quil well, he's up there already, and Charlie respectfully turned down our offer as an honorary member. Embry's going to need help and we know you're still young but-"

"But you said Seth." God mom finally snapped up to look at me. She was no doubt angry that I had cut Nana Sue off. She was big on the whole respecting your elders bit even if most of the older people around me still looked as if they could be my peers. I knew I'd pay for that move later but I couldn't help my response. "Why can't he-"

"Seth's still actively phasing. Paul and Jared help when they can but they both have young families. Most of the pack is phasing or they've moved onto other parts of the state. We need someone young who can be an active member of the council. We need you Leonard." I knew it was coming.

Billy Black's grave wasn't even dirt covered yet and they were already auctioning off his seat on the Council.

I wasn't even 17 yet and they were already giving up on me.

They weren't choosing me because I had the picture perfect resume, because of any good leadership traits. No they were choosing me because it was convenient. I fit the bill. I was human. I didn't phase, I knew the secrets and I was a direct descendant of Levi Uley. I would have no trouble devoting all my time to the council without any other commitment. And I was young. That meant I'd be on the Council for the rest of my natural life.

It was a trap. Just like singing back up.

Now I knew why god mom wouldn't look at me when I first came into the room. I had no forewarning for the bomb they just dropped. She knew I wouldn't like it but it was obvious that just by gathering with these people she was agreeing with them.

"Tre said you needed to talk to me." I looked straight at my god mom. She looked back at me. It was a challenge.

"It's your decision Leo. No one will think any less of you if you don't want to do it." That statement earned her a few uneasy glances. Apparently god mom wasn't in complete cahoots with the group after all.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for such responsibility." I stated plainly, ignoring Tenia's insistent voice that mentioned the importance of protecting my heritage. Thankfully Embry put a hand on her shoulder to quiet her down, since I wasn't in the mood to get in trouble for telling off another one of my elders. Although my punishment would just be for show, god mom probably didn't care if I told Tenia off.

"It wouldn't have to be just yet. We just wanted to give you notice early so that you could muse on it for a while." Nana quickly explained. I nodded wishing that I hadn't looked into her pleading eyes. I shoved my hands back into my pockets.

"I'll think about it."

* * *

**A/N:**Sorry peeps. These updates have to come out on weekends so it takes longer than when it was summer. I'm gonna go reply to like 2 weeks of reviews that I didn't respond to now:)


	4. Leonard's Ballad:4

"So I hear you're being asked to join the Old People's Group…" Emileah said as she dropped into the couch opposite of my slumped form. "Sucks for you." She concluded. It was two days after the funeral and I managed to avoid the people that had been in Billy's house and were waiting for my answer. Sahara strolled in after Emileah and sat on the coffee table across from us, a sympathetic look on her face. "They must really be lowering the bar for who qualifies as an Elder."

"Oh, Emileah stop please." Sahara cut in. "Maybe this will be a good opportunity for Leo." Her suggestion made me gag. Emileah apparently felt the same way.

"That's crap Sahara and you know it. The Council just wants to use him because there's no one else they can afford to wrap into this little _operation_ of theirs. No offense Leo but you're like a target for serving as Mr. Miscellaneous." She says as if she would be bothered if she did offend me.

"Don't I know it." I exhaled heavily and slumped even farther down the couch. Sahara frowned then an idea struck her because her face brightened again.

"Look on the bright side, Leo. If you phase, maybe they'll let you out of the Council." I tilted my head in disbelief. Sahara really was dense sometimes. Emileah went to smack her but Sahara dodged.

"Think Sare."Emileah started after her swing was evaded. "The reason they're putting him on the council is because they think he _won't_ phase." She explained in her condescending tone. "Besides we all know the only reason Leo wants to phase is so that he can be a _contender _for the love of his life." I froze.

"Who's the love of Leo's life?" Then my face heated up as Uncle Seth came into the house. He had evidently heard the conversation as he was coming up the walk. He stepped into the room. "Hey girls. Now seriously, who is Leo in love with?" I opened my mouth but no words came out.

I was seriously gonna bash Emileah's head in with a sledgehammer.

The one secret I tell her to keep and she's gone and blown it in front of Sahara's father. And god mom's brother. Oh crap if god mom finds out about-

"Himself." Emileah lied quickly. I could tell that Seth didn't believe her which meant he was probably trying to search Sahara's mind for answers since Emileah was becoming a pro apparently at blocking her thoughts outside of wolf form. Good thing Sahara doesn't know the answer to that…wait what if she does know-

"You know Quil once told me that he knew this guy who had a friend who's second cousin's uncle's step sister dated a guy that broke up with her to marry his car." Seth explained in a strangely even tone. We just stared at him in silence until Sahara spoke.

"Really dad? That's so peculiar. Was she upset when he broke up with her?" Of course only Sahara would actually be able to follow her father's logic. I was still trying to get that family tree worked out in my head.

"May I ask what prompted such a statement Uncle?" Emileah asked, annoyed that Seth could be so random at times. He immediately pointed towards me.

"You said he's in love with himself, which made me think if he would marry himself which made me think of other weird things people decide to mar-"

"Oh right. Of course." Emileah said sarcastically before pulling her attention from Seth and to her finger nails.

"I hope that girl didn't have a broken heart. She probably feels threatened by vehicles now, especially those of the same make as-" Sahara continued on not speaking to anyone in particular. I realized that my mouth had just been hanging open in wonder as to how my family functioned on a daily basis.

"Hey Uncle Seth." I got his attention finally. "Where's everyone else?"

"Oh right. That's why I came here." He paused evidently getting his thoughts together. "The packs are down at the beach. I came to get you guys to come down and join us." As if we needed supervision, or accompaniment.

When we reached the beach the first people I noticed were the kids. The quads were running along the shore with Jason, Jared and Kim's oldest child, He was ten years old but he was small for his age and was easily overcome by Paul Junior's larger frame. I shook my head as Pablo joined his older brother in pouncing on Jason who played it off as if he were letting them win. Paulis helped him to his feet and he brushed the sand off of his shorts. Jason was a perfect mi of both his parents. Timid like Kim and intellectual like Jared. Although I worried about the long term effects of hanging with the quads, I was happy that he finally found friendship in their group. It seemed like from his age of 4 to 9, everyone tried to force him on me. I guess they hoped it would force a bond that was similar to the one Sam shared with Jared.

That plan pretty much failed. 5 years difference between kids doesn't help with bonding. Especially since my time on the Rez is very sporadic.

Next I noticed, though I tried to ignore the gathering of godmom, Embry, Tre, Tamyra and Seth who joined them after he walked with us to the beach. Tenia was hanging on Embry's arm. Seth ran and immediately slipped an arm around Tamyra's waist. I then focused on god mom ad Tre. She was explaining something to the circle while Tre stood behind slightly, his arms folded although his proximity was close enough to be interpreted as protective.

Slowly I pulled my eyes from that group and took in the other imprint couples. Quil was preparing to throw his young fiancé, Claire into the ocean, her squeals still held the fear of a child, displaying her youth against her obviously adult body. I smirked. It was about time that Quil proposed to the girl. Only a few feet from them sat, to my displeasure, Jacob Black with Renesmee resting in his lap. Luckily Bella had left to return to Alaska the day after the funeral.

A few of Embry's pack members came up behind me and patted me on the back before they ran off to go play Frisbee. They graciously asked me to join their game as referee. It was the nice way of saying, we don't want to have to down our unnatural skills so that you can play but we don't want to be douches and not allow you to partake in some fun.

I declined the offer opting to pester Emileah while she avoided Collin. Before I made it to her though, I crossed in front of Kared and Pachel, the names I gave to the two non phasing imprint couples. Jared and Paul had both stopped phasing after the births of their first kid, or in Paul's case first 4 kids. They had noticeably aged with their wives.

"Lookin more and more like Sam everyday kid." Paul said as he jabbed me in the arm. I rubbed it, pretending to be wounded by the gesture. The women laughed while Jared simply nodded towards me. I respected the four. They'd both had part in raising me for a time. It took me back to the year I had stayed with them on the Rez away from god mom and the pack.

"_Now Leo, you remember to not say anything about the shape shifters at school okay?" Rachel said as she adjusted the straps on my backpack." And if you get lost, remember Jason's going to be in the west wing so you can ask him."_

"_Babe, Jason's like 4."Paul said as he came into the room carrying two of the quads, one on each arm. "Leo's not gonna want to go ask his 4 year old cousin how to get around the school when he's in the 5__th__ grade himself."The 4 year olds in his arms started frantically trying to reach across Paul to each other._

"_Jason's 6, Paul. And I know Jason's in the 1__st__ grade but the boy's smart, he knows his way around school already."Rachel handed me my bagged lunch."Plus he's so mature for his age, he could probably pass for a third grader." Paul turned to face me when Rachel was done talking._

"_Leo, don't listen to your Aunt Rachel, she's gonna get your popularity shattered before you even know what that word means."_

"_I know what popularity means Uncle Paul." I explained calmly._

"_You do? Well, I guess you won't have to worry about having any, you'll probably just end up being one of those nerds."Rachel slapped Paul upside the head." Ouch babe what was that for?"He whined, not used to his wife being able to cause him physical harm since he stopped phasing._

"_Don't tell him things like that."Rachel warned then turned to me. "You can be whatever you want to be Leo."_

"_Rach you were popular in high school, you should know it's a dog eat dog world out there." Paul paused and released the two boys in his arms onto the floor. "Now that I think about it Rach, didn't you used to lead that gang of girls that would terrorize Kim and her friends when she was a freshmen-"_

"_Shut up Paul!" Rachel screeched._

"So how are feeling about the offer that the Council gave you?" Kim asked, her eyes boring into mine. The other three grew quiet at the question obviously aware of the touchy subject. I looked down at the very interesting sand- "Leo?"

"Uh…I'm still thinking about it." That was my award winning answer. I heard Emileah scoff across the way, no doubt wanting to call me out and tell me that it was a safe answer. That I was chickening out and if it was her, she would have just told the council that they could take that empty Elder's seat and shove-

"Oh well I'm sure you'll come to the best decision." Jared said, ultimately saving me from any further conversation. The two couples continued their stroll down the beach. I waved them off before continuing on my original destination but not before I noticed a curious group.

They were a ways off. I didn't recognize them from how far they were but I could tell they were high school age, from the Rez. They seemed to be watching our group suspiciously. I let it slide, as most of the Rez was suspicious of our 'lot'. They kept their distance and although I couldn't peg it as distaste for our larger gathering, I could tell they were a little wary. I briefly wondered what it would be like to be on the outside looking in.

"It's funny really." I looked over at Emileah who had appeared at my side. "How they fear the very people that protect them." She said then turned and headed towards the ocean.

"They don't know anything. It's not their fault." Emileah just shrugged. I heard Sahara in the distance , she was no doubt playing in the water with Brady. I glanced and found Collin playing Frisbee with his old friends and I felt bad for him. He couldn't be near his friends as much as he liked and his life and soul was rejecting him. At least he got days like this where he could forget all his troubles and just have fun.

"You comin or what?" I blinked a few times in confusion at Emileah. She rolled her eyes when she realized I hadn't been listening to her for the last few moments.

"Where-"

"There's a party tonight in Forks. Claire told me about it. You there?" I just nodded.

"A party?!" I laughed when I heard Sahara screech in the distance before being pushed off of Brady's shoulders and into the water by Claire.

* * *

**A/N: **yeah this story is coming out slow even though I have the plot mapped. I'll try to get 2 chaps out next wkend since exams are done but no promises. Now to reply to my wonderful reviewers finally! :)


	5. Leonard's Ballad:5

The party ended up being a group event. It was a block party being hosted by some of the Forks High kids although most of LaPush was invited as well. Pack cars were piled high with people, as myself, Emileah, Sahara, Claire, Quil, Brady, Collin, most of Embry's pack. Uncle Seth, Aunt Tamyra, Tre and God mom were also coming along, they said as supervisors but I knew Seth and Tamyra would be dancing like they weren't a day over 17.

"I haven't partied in a few years guys." Oh yes, of course, it's not a party unless Jacob Black joins us as well…

"Oh my Jacob, what do you call all those Saturday nights hanging out with my father and uncles?" And Renesmee. I grimaced.

"From what he tells me," Quil turned completely around in his seat to look at us, "They sound like nights of cruel and unusual punishment." Jacob immediately got nervous while Quil just laughed at his friend's discomfort. Renesmee after getting over her initial shock at the statement, chuckled.

"Oh my Jacob, don't worry, I'll try to get them to go easier on you from now on." Jacob visibly relaxed. I just huffed in annoyance trying to figure how I ended up in a car with Black and Loch Ness.

"_If Claire drives, I can drive my dad's truck and take Emileah, Sahara, and Brady." Collin explained as he pulled away from the Frisbee game. His group of friends opted to ride together in Solomon's secondary vehicle. The parental figures ended up stealing Nana Sue's car so that left me in Claire's car. Great._

"We're here!" Claire announced happily when we pulled up first onto a blocked off street. I could hear the music and make out the people already partying. Technicolor and neon lights were flashing up and down the block like a rave rip off. Quil was already out the vehicle and opening Claire's door as she grabbed her purse. Jacob pulled Renesmee out and twirled her. The two couples already headed to the party before I could even finish unbuckling my seatbelt.

Not that I minded. It wasn't like I wanted to spend my time with the ex pedophiles.

"Gonna stand there all night or are we gonna go have fun?" Emileah bumped into me then continued walking by. I followed her as always, noticing that everyone was already splitting off into couples or small groups. Or looking for someone to couple with. It only took 5 minutes before girls were asking me to dance. A few guys too, though most of them mistook my long hair and feminine face for that of an underdeveloped girl.

"Wanna dance?" I looked at the girl. She was Quileute but hadn't come with our group. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and her hair reached to her mid back. I deemed her cute enough to dance with so I shrugged.

"Sure." She pulled me by the wrist towards the section of the street that had been designated the dance floor. It was pretty much the area in front of someone's driveway near the DJ who was stationed on someone's front lawn. I glanced back and saw that Emileah was already getting cozy with some guy.

"You're Sam's kid right?" Of course. I rolled my eyes. I had hoped to not be identified but I guess that wasn't happening tonight.

"Yeah so?" She shrugged not really caring, her dance never stopping.

"Never met you before, thought you'd be more…majestic I guess." That made me laugh internally. Even though I'd only spent one continual year at the tribal school, I was still identified by parentage by my peers. My god mom had informed me of the story they had concocted for the Rez about Sam's death.

"_Leonard, you remember what I told you about your dad. How he died?" I nodded not quite sure why she was bringing this up now. "Your father was a hero but the kids at the tribal school, when you go aren't going to know the full story." She had crouched to look me in the eye, both of her hands on my shoulders. "We told them that Sam died protecting me. That I was being attacked in the woods and he protected me but my attacker stabbed him." _

"_But I thought Tre protected you too."_

"_He did, but that was after your father was stabbed Leo. The Rez honors your father as a hero. They named the north wing of the school after him and his picture is going to be on display…"_

She had told me that to warn me about the fact that his picture would be everywhere. That Sam Uley had indeed become the poster child for the perfect, son, husband, friend, and father.

That last one gave me a laugh.

My dancing partner looked up at me strangely. Apparently I had laughed out loud.

"My dancing's not that bad is it?" She joked. I smirked and shook my head.

"It's actually pretty good." I paused and let a few more beats of the music go through my ears. "So how'd you know who I was?" I asked already knowing the answer but wanted it confirmed verbally.

"I spent grades four through six in the Uley wing of the school." She said as a matter of fact. "Plus you look just like your mother, Emily was it?" I nodded done with the direction of the conversation. I didn't want the constant reminder of how _great _my parents were.

These kids were being raised up to be just like my parents, people that they didn't even know.

People that I didn't even know.

I was their freaking kid and I didn't know how to be like them.

Parents set too high of expectations for their kids sometimes.

"C'mon Leo, they're gonna break out the cotton candy machine!" Uncle Seth was suddenly beside me, trying to pull me from the dance area like an excited little kid. Luckily Aunt Tamyra appeared and pried his hand off my wrist.

"Let go Seth. Leo probably wants to dance with his friend." She shot her eyes in the direction of the girl I'd been dancing with. Seth was confused until he noticed the girl for the first time.

"Oh. Well Sorry bout that." Seth said.

"Yeah it's cool Unc- Seth."

"My bad." He added as Tamyra pulled him away from us. The girl smiled warily.

"Nice family." She said then moved closer to me again. I opened my mouth to correct her and keep up a lie but she quickly stopped me. "Don't worry, I know he's your uncle or cousin or whatever. We're not clueless on the rez, we know you guys look incredibly young even if most of your family is middle aged." She explained. I felt awkward, not knowing if I should say she had us confused for someone else or grab her and try to lock her in one of the pack's cars and hypnotize her into forgetting she ever saw us at the party.

"It's in the genes. They age gracefully."

"They? Aren't you the same?" She asked and I frowned. I couldn't help it. The reminder about my state always caused me to think about my inability to shift. My perpetual state as a human even though I'd been exposed to vampires countless times, besides the Cullens.

"_Hey what state are we in?" Collin had asked the summer I was 9. I was being carried on Brady's back while Sahara tried to get Emileah to skip with her._

"_I think we're in one of the Dakotas." Uncle Seth had answered. Collin nodded. "Maybe ten miles south of Bismarck." _

"_We should be nearing on this Haven checkpoint soon correct?" Leah inquired from Tre. He nodded his confirmation. _

"_Clarice told me there's a river near where the checkpoint house is." Tre explained to god mom. _

"_I can hear a river in the distance." Tamyra offered. Tre stopped walking causing everyone to stop. He was listening then confirmed what Tamyra just said. He continued walking again. I started to doze off, my face using Brady's head as a pillow. The pack had started to jog towards the direction of the river._

"_Stop." God mom barked. The entire pack stopped moving. I was startled awake. It seemed like a long moment of silence elapsed before everyone started speaking at once._

"_Do you smell th-"_

"_Is that what I think it is?"_

"_Bloodsucker." God mom confirmed. In a blink of an eye she was grabbing me off of Brady's back and placing an assortment of bags on my back. Just as quickly she was placing me in Aunt Tamyra's arms. "Get the kids to the checkpoint, we'll stay here and check things out. Smells like a coven." _

"_Too late." Uncle Seth said suddenly. "We're surrounded." _

"Hello? Leonard?" I snapped back to my dancing partner who was now waving a hand in front of my face. When I smiled weakly she smirked. "Thought I'd lost you for a minute there."

"Sorry bout that. Just thinking." I explained lamely. She didn't seem to mind and continued dancing with me for a few more minutes until someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Leo we're heading out." I looked over god mom's shoulder and saw pretty much the entire pack. "Embry just called, there's some trouble."

"I'll go with-"

"No." She snapped back. "Just stay here and enjoy the party. You can go home with Claire." I looked over her shoulder again and noticed Emileah and Sahara both looking sullen. Then I became jealous because I realized they were going with the pack.

"If Emileah and Sahara are going why can't I-"

"Please Leo, give it a rest." Collin said exasperatedly. God mom whirled on him.

"Shut your mouth Collin!" She said. He instantly quieted. She then waved everyone towards the cars before turning back to me. "Leo you know we can't risk you-"

"I get it _Leah_." I cringed as soon as the name left my mouth. It was wrong. Emileah was the only one of us kids who ever called god mom by her name and it was only when she was really angry. I was too stubborn to apologize though.

"I'll see you back at the house. Don't stay out too late.". She said sternly before walking off after the rest of the pack. A few of them were shaking their heads from inside the vehicles, having heard our little spat. What a laugh. She's going to go risk her life but she's worried I'll miss curfew.

So maybe I was being a little immature.

Hopefully that'll give the council just reason to take back their offer of that seat.

Or maybe I'm just being overly optimistic.


	6. Leonard's Ballad:6

"Did you manage to have a little fun Leo?" Claire asked as she drove us back to the Rez. We had stayed at the block party for only another hour after the packs left. I liked having Claire as a cousin. She always played older sister to Emileah, Sahara, and me being about five years older. She and Emileah had a relationship that rivaled Sahara's with Renesmee. "I saw you getting fresh with a girl on the dance floor." She teased and poked me in the side as I was sat in the front passenger seat.

"I wasn't getting fresh. We were just dancing." I explained calmly while rolling my eyes.

"Yes, that's what all the teenage boys say." Claire replied doubtfully. "I don't know how she got pregnant, we were just danc-"

"C'mon Claire! Nothing of the sort was happening. I didn't even get her name." Claire tsked.

"Yep, they say that too."

"I don't think Quil would appreciate it very much to know that his fiancé has such a dirty mind." I hoped that would shut her up. It did for all of three seconds.

"Quil knows more about me than anyone. Besides it's his fault my innocence is gone." I almost gagged.

"For crying out loud Claire, I don't want to know about that." She started laughing hysterically. I was amazed that we hadn't crashed and died yet.

"Oh lighten up Leo," she said between breaths as she tried to regain her composure. "I'm sure when you find a girl you like you won't know how to contain yourself either."

"I already found a girl…" Cue forehead slap. I don't know what possessed me to let that bit of information slip but I was more than willing to blame it on the questionable fruit punch from the party for shutting my brain down.

You have a girl?!" Claire's eyes were boring into the side of my head.

"Watch the road!" She glanced quickly to the empty street then back at me.

"Does Leah know?"

"I don't have a girl- No, Leah doesn't know."

"Emileah knows." Claire said darkly, probably enraged that one of her closest friends had not shared information with her.

"She told you?" I asked furiously, regretting once again that I'd ever told Emileah my secret.

"No, but_ you _just did." I mumbled curses to myself for falling into that trap. "Now tell me Leo, who's your girl? You know I won't tell anyone. Well besides Emileah because she already knows _obviously_." Claire was really taking this whole 'Emileah knows and she doesn't' thing really hard. "Pretty please Leo." She pouted. That face should look utterly humorous on someone her age but her teenage looks were still prominent so I almost gave in. It was a characteristic I noticed of all the human imprints, that they aged but did so very gracefully. "I promise that I will take the secret to my grave, even after you've married her." Then she stuck out her lip. I was sold.

"Watch the road and I'll tell you." She brightened back up immediately and faced forward. Her driving posture similar to the way they teach you on like the first day of driver's ed. "It's complicated and she doesn't even know I exist probably."

"Oh classic teen drama." I rolled my eyes. She had no idea how far off base she was.

"And she's kind of involved with someone else." Claire started nodding as if she were in deep thought. "And I'm not much of a blip on her radar considering that someone else I know may or may not still have feelings for her." She glanced at me.

"You're lusting after one of your boy's ex's?" She asked in mock horror. I chuckled at her word choice. "Wait, Leo do you even have boys?"

"I have friends!" I yelled and it caused her to laugh.

"Besides the pack."She said and knew she had me.

"Well…" She gasped.

"It's one of the pack's ex's. Oh let me think." She took one hand off the steering wheel to rub her chin. "This shouldn't be too hard, the guys don't date much. Most of them are waiting around for their imprints so they can get married." The car fell quiet as she thought. Only occasionally would she say no to disagree with one of her own thoughts. "I've got it. It's Joan."

"Who?"

"Not her? Well I don't know then." She rubbed her chin again. "You sure it isn't Joan?"

"I don't even know who Joan is."

"Joan, you know." She waved her hand as if the knowledge would suddenly come to me. I shook my head. "Solomon's girlfriend from like 3 years ago. They broke up like two months before he imprinted on that little girl in pediatrics." Oh yeah, Solomon did have an imprint. After going to college and med school to become a doctor, he'd moved back to the Rez to serve as the pack's official doctor. Then he got a job at Forks hospital as well. He was well on his way to getting Carlisle Cullen's old position. He had visited the kids in the hospital one day and found himself imprinting on a 5 year old gymnast with a broken arm.

"It's not Joan." I assured her.

"Yeah, she'd be too old for you anyways." I cringed. Considering my predicament I'd like to say age didn't matter. "Unless of course you're into that kind of thing." She glanced at me questioningly. I didn't say anything not quite sure what I was trying to convey. "She's older isn't she?" I sighed.

"Technically she's about sixty years old give or take-"

"Sixty?!" She yelled and about swerved the car into the other lane. "Don't you think…that's kind of old?" She asked trying to look disgusted.

"You're one to talk. How old is Quil? Like 35 or 36?"

"That only makes him 14 years older than me. Leo this woman whoever she is, is old enough to be your grandmother."

"I know that but she doesn't look it." I clenched my teeth. "She only looks about a year or two older than you." Claire's eyes widened.

"She's a shape shifter. Do I know her or heard of her?" I only nodded. "Who is it?"Might as well bite the bullet.

""You should like her since her name is very similar to yours." I said, knowing that Claire was sharp enough to figure this out.

" Similar to mine…similar to mine. It's not me is it?" She joked and I gagged. "Oh right, we're like first cousins. And I'm not a shifter." She laughed at her own joke. Then it happened. Realization dawned on her. She slowly turned her head to me. "Leonard, you've got to be kidding me? You can't like her. That's-that's-"

"I told you it was complicated."

"You said she was involved. That's a little more than involved! She's married!" If she weren't driving I was sure, Claire would have thrown her arms up in the air for added effect.

"Don't you think I know that? I just can't help it. I like her a lot. Every time we meet up with her. She's so strong and she's a realist and she's classy and I can't help the way I feel around her." I looked over and realized that a sad smile was tugging at Claire's face.

"Does Tre know?" She asked quietly.

"Of course not. How can I tell him that I like his married ex girlfriend whom he may still have feelings for?"

"Tre imprinted on Leah."

"But Leah is not in love with Tre." An emotion flashed through Claire's face but it was gone before I could pinpoint it. "Which means he's probably not in love with her either so he could still want…" I trailed off not comfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. Claire shook her head sadly.

"I can't believe you're in love with Clarice." The remainder of the trip back to the Rez was quiet. Claire gasped when she pulled in front of the house. "Why is the whole pack here?"

"Maybe they just dropped the cars off." I suggested but Claire shook her head.

"No they're here. " I didn't question how she knew that considering all the lights were off in the house but when we stepped in, most of the packs were inside. They turned to look at us. The first thing I noticed was Sahara crying into Brady's shoulder. Everyone else looked grim. Claire walked over to Quil while I just stood dumbfounded in the doorway. I found myself trying to count heads to make sure everyone was present. God mom eventually turned to me.

"Something's happened." She took a few steps toward me until she was directly in front of me. "Embry went on patrol because Jay called and said we should have been receiving a new arrival at the school this afternoon. The kid never showed so Embry figured the panther escorts at the checkpoint in Olympia were a little behind." She paused and glanced over her shoulder. "Embry said he had picked up some vampire scents out that direction. We went to check it out. We got to the checkpoint and the escorts were dead."

"Bloody leech's scent was all over that place." Quil said angrily. "Those cats didn't have a chance." He was right. Vampires were much too strong for most shape shifters to handle. Those except our wolves and Tre. Tamyra and Sahara could hold their own for a little while but were usually out matched.

"What about the kid?" I turned around and watched as Tenia stepped into the house. She looked frantic. Embry instantly jumped to his feet.

"Ten you should be home asleep."

"Stop treating me like a child Embry. I'm here now continue your story." Embry didn't argue with her and simply pulled her back to his seat and let her sit on his lap.

"There was no sign of the kid anywhere." Tre took up the retelling. "We're hoping he or she escaped but patrols are going to be extended. We need people out there at all times just in case the leech come back." Embry's pack looked to him and he nodded his agreement.

"Have you encountered the scent before?"I asked curiously. Renesmee shook her head.

"I've met many vampires but unless my memory has become faulty, I don't recall that particular scent." She explained.

"Neither do I." Jacob added gruffly.

"You think it was a newborn?" I wasn't normally this vocal in pack discussions but I needed to know all the facts. I didn't like having to be caught up later.

"No, the attack didn't seem to stem outside of the checkpoint. It was calculated. Someone was specifically targeting the Haven." Uncle Seth said.

"And we have no idea who?" Claire asked with an air of distress in her voice. No one answered. "Not even Clarice or Jay?" I cringed. I saw Claire glance at me after she questioned. Since recently acquiring her new information on my personal life she had to know how much the name Jay would make me angry, considering he was nothing more than the alpha male of the panther pack and Clarice's husband.

"He said they didn't know anything." Tre answered quickly. He mumbled something that caused all the non humans in the room to look at him in shock. I was going to question what he said but god mom drew my gaze back to her.

"We're going to stay here for a while Leo considering the circumstances." All I could do was nod.

"You sure it wasn't the kid?" Emileah asked and all eyes were drawn to her. She was sitting on a stool but she didn't even look like she had just said anything. She finally looked up. "I'm just thinking about all options, you know they've started helping vampires as well."

"Only vegetarian ones." Tamyra explained.

"And you know they wouldn't send one to our checkpoint. The vampires are sent to the checkpoint in Edmonton so that they are picked up by the Cullens or Denalis." God mom said quickly. She seemed irritated at the suggestion. Or maybe she was just irritated with Emileah. I wasn't sure yet. Emileah just shrugged and went back to not caring about the meeting. God mom turned back to me. "Everyone will be clearing out in a few so you can go up to bed if you want." I didn't want to. I felt as if even with all this information they'd shared that I was missing something. The dynamics between people was different and I wanted to know why.

But my body screamed in protest and only seconds later I was collapsing into a bed that I'd outgrown a few years earlier.

* * *

**A/N: **Woohoo! My semi promised two chaps for the weekend. And Leo's crush is finally revealed. Yay?


	7. Leonard's Ballad:7

"Wake up slacker!" I grumbled. Little was worse than being woken up by Emileah's harsh voice at…

"Why are you waking me up at 5am?!" I attempted to scream at her but it came out more as a loud slur. She just shrugged as she plopped into the bunk bed next to mine.

"I just got off patrol and you wanna be a shape shifter so bad so I thought you needed to know how it felt to suffer." And with that her head hit the pillow and the conversation was over before I could even respond. A few seconds later in walked a pajama clad Sahara. Climbed into the top bunk above Emileah and her head hit the pillow after a quiet goodnight escaped her lips. I figured the front door closing would be Aunt Tamyra and godmom entering since the women preferred patrolling together. There was shuffling going on in the downstairs bedrooms and I realized, the guys must be getting ready to start their shifts. I scooted off the bed and towards the window. I felt like a little creepy stalker watching the guys transform just behind the house in the woods but it always fascinated me.

I just couldn't help but be in awe of something so much greater than myself.

Seth phased first, his sandy wolf shaking out kinks before he turned around to face his still human comrades. Tre phased next, his panther form, now having grown to about the size of the wolves. Collin and Brady followed suit and the four were off. I could imagine running at great speeds like a band of brothers. I sighed and was surprised when I heard a girly yawn at the same time the breath escaped my lips. I turned to see a young girl standing in the doorway. She was wearing an old pajama set and was rubbing her eyes. Her blond hair was in disarray.

"I had a nightmare." She said before moving silently over to the bunk beds. I looked at her and realized she couldn't be more than 6 years old. " 'Hara usually lets me sleep in her bed when I have a bad dream." I nodded but she continued to stare at me. She looked back up at the top bunk then whined and pulled on the banister. Emileah groaned in her sleep. The girl that I then remembered shifts into a white kitten turned back to me and pointed up towards Sahara's bed. "Can you help me up please?"

"Can you shut that kid up please?" Emileah grumbled out. I made my way over to her, apprehensive about disturbing Sahara and Emileah who both obviously needed rest. I lifted the girl and was surprised when Sahara immediately cuddled the girl into her arms. She was very protective of the child and it made me wonder how old the shifter was that was currently MIA since the unidentified vampires killed those two escorts. I frowned. We had been here 3 weeks already and there still were no signs of the killers or the missing kid. When I heard someone shuffling around in the kitchen I made my way down once I was sure the girls were all asleep.

"God mom? What are you doing up?" I asked her as she sat on a stool drinking a cup of coffee. She half smiled at me before setting her cup on the table.

"Just thinking Leo." She said before I sat next to her. She offered me a cup of coffee which I turned down. "Were you having trouble sleeping?"

"No, Emileah just gets a crack out of causing me discomfort." She chuckled lightly which caused me to smile. "Have you heard anything new about the attack?" She shook her head.

"Same status. Clarice's pack said they may have had a similar incident happen at the Brazil Haven." I stopped the smile that tried to creep onto my face at Clarice's name and nodded at the information god mom was telling me. "But don't worry yourself with it Leo, we'll handle it." She reached for her coffee again. For some reason her words sat strangely with me.

Maybe it was the way she said it so dismissively. Or the fact that every time I ask about things she tries to water it down for me.

"I can't help but worry. My family is out risking their lives every night." I paused when I realized how harsh my words were coming out. "I wouldn't be human if I didn't show any reaction to the fact that one night someone may not come back!" She reached a hand out but I moved away.

"Leo…"

"No. Why do you treat me differently? Is it because I'm human? Because I'm fragile? I'm not a little kid you don't have to sugar coat everything. I can take reality just as much as the girls." I started to walk away angry, mainly because I'd run out of argument but I knew she wouldn't let me get away that easy.

"Leo, get back here." I stopped at her furious tone. "You're 16," she began, her tone softer as I stood before her. "In our younger days, if you weren't a shape shifter or an imprint you didn't have a clue about their existence. I don't want you to feel tied down to us when you don't have to be. If it were entirely my choice, Emileah and Sahara would be staying out of this as well but they were phasing in the womb. Not to mention Emileah has her healing ability."

How could I forget Emileah's healing ability? She had apparently inherited the ability to 'speak' to one's wolf and heal them from many sicknesses. Where Tre can only help the panthers, which becomes helpful when we visit Clarice's pack and he can heal their incapacitated, Emileah cares for the wolves. I remembered when Collin tried to explain it to me after Emileah had just shrugged and walked away.

"_It's like some mind over matter or something like that." He paused to take a swig of his beer. "You get wounded, your body'll heal but your mind," he tapped his temple," will get exhausted from all the energy it takes to do so." He took another swig and I hoped he would explain quickly before he started to get more than tipsy. It was a well known fact amongst our pack that Collin was an angry drunk. "That's when lil miss Emileah will swoop in and wake your wolf mind back up." And another two swigs. "Saved my life that one did." And another. "Really talented." It was then that he realized he was actually still talking to someone. "So you got any other homework problems for me to help you with?" He asked and hiccupped. _

"_This wasn't homework. I just wanted to know." He waved a hand dismissively not that he hadn't helped me with my homework before. One time he'd actually completed my entire physics homework while in a drunken stupor. Not only was he angry but incredibly smart while intoxicated considering he failed physics the short time he was in high school._

"_Well then, get outta here you lil brat, you're killin my mood!" But mostly he was just angry._

"Leo, I'm starting to worry about you." I shook my head when god mom's voice brought me back to the present. "That zoning out thing you do cannot be healthy. We could have Carlisle-"

"No." I said instantly. Once I realized the Cullen's were not going to induce my first phase, I had no reason to want to be around them. There was no way I was gonna let the Doc-Vamp, do a bunch of brain tests on me. "I'm perfectly fine god mom." She didn't look convinced but she didn't push it.

"I don't like it. Where do you go when you get that far away look?" I just shrugged, not really wanting to relay that I'm usually just stuck in vivid memories.

"Maybe that's why you're not a wolf." I whipped around when Emileah came into the kitchen dragging her feet. She went towards the refrigerator. "I can see it now, the pack is trying to fight some vampire and the next thing you know we're all watching a replay of that time Uncle Seth caught your birthday cake on fire." She pulled out the milk. "We'd lose the whole pack because of your ADHD." She proceeded to drink the milk straight from the carton as I frowned at her taunting.

"You know that has Collin germs all over it." I said. She looked instantly repulsed but changed emotions quick.

"Oh well," she shrugged, "guess now he can say I let him kiss me like he wants to." She proceeded to drink some more. God mom laughed at us though I was still a little perturbed by Emileah's comment.

"Why are you up Emileah, you have to be exhausted." God mom said as she finished up her coffee.

"The kitten girl wet the bed." My face turned instantly to one of disgust considering said girl was sleeping on the top bunk with Sahara. "Good thing I smelt it and jumped out of bed otherwise you would have had scraps of little girl to clean up if anything got on me." The sad thing about that statement was that coming from Emileah it was probably true. "Sahara's cleaning up the beds now."

"I should go help her." God mom said as she moved to get up.

"Don't bother." Emileah said with a wave of her hand. "Sahara loves this whole mothering bit." She tossed the milk carton back into the refrigerator. "Probably getting prepared for when she and Brady start popping out litters."

"I'd reprimand you Emileah but it wouldn't do any good would it?" God mom asked with a hint of humor in her voice.

"Nope, probably not." She turned to leave but hesitated. I wasn't the only one who noticed this falter in Emileah's movement.

"Emi-"

"Sorry if I interrupted anything." She almost whispered it. "I'm off to sleep. My bed better be spotless and if I smell even a hint of urine in that room…" Her voice trailed off as she climbed the stairs arguing with Sahara. I looked at god mom who was no doubt contemplating the first part of what Emileah had said. More of how she said it. When she noticed me studying her, her expression changed. She stood to leave.

"I'll get some sleep as well." She put a hand on my shoulder and this time I didn't dodge. "Keep an eye on your sisters." Then she quickly left the room. I stayed for a few more minutes, just trying to wrap my mind around the things said in the past few minutes.

I wondered why the Haven was being attacked, and why the policing pack-our pack- hadn't left to go investigate.

I wondered why Emileah was acting so strangely.

I wondered why god mom was being so evasive and vague in almost every answer to the questions I'd asked.

And lastly I wondered if Emileah would beat me up if I wished her and Sahara a Happy Birthday today.


	8. Leonard's Ballad:8

"I'm going to be beta!" Paul Junior announced proudly as he played with his remote controlled helicopter in Jared and Kim's living room.

"Nu-uh!" Pablo screeched from his spot on the couch as he watched old cartoon reruns. "Jason's next oldest after Leo so he should be beta." Jason was currently entertaining himself on the computer at the other end of the room. He looked up and locked eyes with an agitated looking Paul Junior.

"No way. Jason's not strong enough to be beta." I looked at Jason who just frowned and turned back to the computer screen without saying anything.

"Hey! No insulting your brothers." I tried to reprimand junior. He just made a weird face that looked like confusion and annoyance.

"Jason's not my brother. I only have three brothers." He explained.

"But when you are in a pack, everyone's your brother…or sister." I was quick to explain. Paul Junior just shrugged. I'm not sure how I got stuck babysitting the boys while everyone else was either on patrol, working, or running errands, but I was going to tell off the first person from the pack that I came into contact with.

"Fine, so let's start over." Paul began again as his helicopter narrowly missed a decorative plate sitting on a mantle. "Leo is alpha."

"Wait why is Leo alpha?" Paulie asked as he emerged from the bathroom. "He' not a Black." Junior rolled his eyes.

"Because he's really old." I frowned. "And his dad was _Sam."_The way he said Sam made me curious. He stretched it out as if he were trying to convey some secret message to his younger brother. "Besides dad wasn't an alpha."

"But Uncle Jacob is, and so is Uncle Embry and since neither of them have kids-" Paulie was cut off when Paulis hit him. "Ow 'Lis what was that for?"

"You're not supposed to talk about that." That peaked my interest. What weren't they supposed to talk about?

"Talk about what?" I found myself asking. The boys all stilled before Junior proceeded to talk again, ignoring my question.

"What were you saying Paulie?"

"I said that since mom is Uncle Jake and Uncle Embry's sister that she can give us alpha blood. So we can be alphas." Junior took that into consideration before flying his helicopter straight into Paulis' head.

"I guess you're right. In that case, I'm alpha. Jason's beta."

"What?!" Paulie screeched. "But I was born right after you, I should be beta."

"But Jason's smart. Betas need to be smart." Junior explained contradicting his previous notion of how Jason wasn't strong enough to be beta.

"Then I'm third!" Paulie exclaimed not realizing that his brother had just dissed him, then went to sit with Pablo on the couch who followed suit by screaming "Fourth." Paulis was too busy rubbing his head where the toy helicopter hit him to respond. I looked away from the quads and paid attention to Jason.

"What are you doing over there Jase?" He shrugged so I made my way over to him just to make sure he wasn't doing something he shouldn't. I was pleasantly surprised to see him on the internet researching wolves. "What's all this for?"

"It's a project for school. Our teacher told us we had to pick an animal and do research on it. I picked the wolf because…well you know…and because dad and Uncle Embry said they'd let me see one of the real wolves out in the forest and I could take a picture." He explained shyly. By real wolves I knew he meant the non-shape shifter wolves that roamed the inner depths of the forest. Though I wasn't sure how Embry expected to get close to the wild pack without his large size being seen as a threat.

"That sounds cool." I told him, which made Paulis curious. The youngest boy walked over and looked over Jason's shoulder. He seemed fixated with the picture of the wolf on the screen.

"Do you think we'll be silver like dad?" Paulis asked when he snapped out of his daze.

"I don't know maybe." I noticed his question caught the attention of his three brothers. "Have you ever seen your dad's wolf form?" Paulis nodded quickly but was cut off before he could answer.

"Yeah he got really mad at Junior one time because he pushed Pablo off the top of the shed outside and made his head start bleeding really really bad." Paulie said very quickly. I noticed Paul Junior look down at his feet while Pablo stiffened where he sat on the couch.

"It was an accident. I already apologized." Junior said softly.

"It's fine. I'm ok." Pablo said to indicate he didn't want to talk about it anymore. I had remembered hearing something a few years back when mom said Rachel was angry because Paul had phased again. At the time I hadn't known any specifics about the incident.

"I'm glad I only have to worry about a younger sister." Jason said quietly. As if on cue, there was a cry coming from the nursery. I moved to get up but Jason got up first. "Don't worry, she's just hungry, I can do it." He said and scampered off. I didn't bother to tell him that younger sisters came with a whole lot of other worries. I made my way out onto the porch preferring not to sit on any of the wet furniture considering it had just recently rained. I noticed some of the other kids were coming out to play in puddles so I recommended the boys do the same.

"Why don't you guys go play with your friends outside?" The quads all shared a glance at one another.

"We don't play with them." Paulie said while Paulis nodded in agreement.

"They don't like us." Pablo added.

"Does Junior beat up the other kids?" I asked jokingly. Pablo shook his head while Junior attempted to scowl at me.

"No, I don't think their parents let them play with us because their parents don't like mom and dad." Pablo explained. At that point Jason re-entered the room.

"Most of the people on the Rez don't like anyone that hangs with the pack. And they don't like that Embry's chief now." I found that strange. I supposed that they would be put off by all the secrecy. I looked back out the window and noticed a group of teenagers standing a few houses down. I immediately recognized one of the teens as being the girl I had danced with at the block party a few weeks ago. I went outside to get a better look. When she turned and spotted me, I waved. Her return wave was weak and the group she was with immediately turned and walked farther down the street.

So I guess the boys were right.

"Told ya." Pablo said when I came back into the house looking dejected. "Junior always yells at them when they pick on Paulis." Junior did one sharp nod to indicate that the statement was true. I felt a little proud for the boy, since he stood up for his brothers. "And when they tease Jason about being so little even though he's older than us." That made Jason freeze but again he didn't say anything. I guess Paul Junior wasn't a lost cause.

Though, it must suck to be 10 years old but stuck in a 6 year old's body.

"So who are you guys friends with?" I asked curious as to who they actually played with if their neighbors ignored them.

"Us." They all said simultaneously and went back to doing whatever they were before.

* * *

**A/N: ***is excited because drama may be coming up soon*


	9. Leonard's Ballad:9

One thing about being human and growing up already aware of the super natural around you is that you serve as some type of link between the human world and the unknown. One fact being that I was a near expert on noticing when humans were very close to the change that would pull them into an unknown destiny.

We were still in LaPush. After Billy Black's funeral we were originally supposed to head to Alaska to celebrate the girls' birthday but with the situation here, our pack couldn't afford to leave yet. Alice Cullen had already kept an open re-scheduling for the party though. My pack was in a meeting with the LaPush wolves. I was of course invited to sit in but mom knew I'd get bored easily since they were only discussing patrol changes and shifts. It was at this time I'd usually wander off to one of the wolf homes and bother/be entertained by whoever decided to flick the meeting.

Today was an unlucky day in that no one had chosen to sit it out.

That left me to wandering the reservation and my own devices. And of course chance running into old human classmates that I lost touch with the moment my family had returned after my year on the Rez and took me back out on the "road" with them.

"Hey Uley!" I turned around. The voice was familiar but I couldn't place it. Again had my background not been what it was I would've been more curious to why three guys had just emerged from the woods. Their features were different since I probably hadn't seen them in 3 years.

"Hey." I added a wave in a lame attempt at distracting them from my fallible memory.

"It's Hunter." Ah, Hunter. Solomon's much younger baby brother. Solomon spent too much time protecting the kid from the world. He hadn't phased, they hadn't even told him about the wolves. Solomon didn't live in his parent's house anymore especially after having gone to college and med school, not to mention spending weekends volunteering in peds at the hospital because his 8 year old imprint suddenly took up an interest in "doctory" things. Anyway it was easier to detach his family from his activities. "How ya been?" His interest in my well being seemed forced.

"Good." He had to be at least a year younger than me but he had bulked up considerably making us look pretty much the same size. I was going to comment on it until he reached his hand out for me to shake. When I did, I worked hard to control my expanding eye muscles.

"You're kinda warm." I stated. His two friends (or minions neither had spoken so I couldn't place their IQs) standing a little behind him gave each other a look at my statement. "Been sick lately?"

"Nope. Mom said it runs in the genes or something." He apparently accepted the idea that his body temperature was genetic. "So you hang with my brother right?" Straight to the point.

"I wouldn't say _hang_ exactly. I mean it's kinda hard to hang with a doctor who's old enough to be my father." Hunter shot his eyes skyward. I loved critiquing the words of others.

"You know what I mean." I pretended that I didn't. "That gang. You know the Elders' Chosen. You're in it right?" I held the instinct to laugh. So that's what they're calling it these days?

"What exactly is the Elders' Chosen, Hunt?" I hadn't been expecting him to get fed up with my attitude so quickly. All semblance of civility disappeared as he grabbed my shirt collar. I didn't struggle knowing that would just enrage him more.

"Stop playing cute with me Uley. There's a gang that my brother's in and as far as I know has been in it since I was born. No one tells the rest of the Rez who they are. It's like they just get chosen to be all secretive."He spat the words, his grip on my shirt tightening. "And I know they have their own special school."He leaned in closer to my face."Let's just pretend that we don't notice how they're all in their thirties yet they still look to be in their late teens and early twenties." He shook me a little probably unnerved by my silence. "Now you tell me what's going on." He gritted his teeth as he said that and released me. I could sense his comrades getting nervous. They must not have anticipated this type of confrontation. It struck me that I would now have to serve as spokesman for peaceful human-shape shifter relations.

"Whaddya want me to say Hunter? Your brother's not in some gang of illegal activities. They're just a really tight knit group." I tried watering down the explanation but it didn't make the guilty feeling of betrayal creep up in my stomach.

"Tight knit my butt." He exclaimed then raised his finger to point at me accusingly. "Tell me Uley, you're one of em aren't you? Because of your _dad_." He was navigating into forbidden territory. The way he sneered 'dad' made me angry but I didn't let it show. I was used to people talking about my dad but it was always in the good sense. This new development irked me.

I felt a weird pang of loyalty to my father in that moment as if I were the only one allowed to bad mouth his memory.

"They say he got this whole operation started. You just getting pulled for the ri-" I don't know what possessed me but I blinked twice and he was on the ground holding his face. I'd dropped him in one punch effectively ending my short lived career as peaceful ambassador. I was disappointed in myself but not enough to stop the words from coming out of my mouth.

"You'll watch what you say about my family Hunter." I warned and walked away after that confrontation. I knew that wouldn't be the last I'd see of the kid. He'd obviously picked up on more about the pack then they realized.

And if some scraggly 14 year old pick up on it, how many others on the Rez were scoping out the secret society within the tribe?

"Leonard Levi!" Oh great. I've angered god mother. I looked up from my spot at the kitchen counter in the Haven home. God mom had just entered and by the way her clothes were in disarray (being clad in only her phasing pants and a sports bra), she had just phased recently. "What did I just hear about you beating up some kid in broad daylight? Embry's mom left me a voicemail telling me she saw you in a scuffle."

"Embry's mom? That woman is still alive?" I asked. Mom wasn't amused. "Don't worry, it was just Hunter." I said with a dismissive wave. Mom's face screwed up into one of confusion.

"Solomon's brother?" I nodded. "Why were you two fighting? That boy should know better than to be a bully." I pretended to not be offended that god mom automatically assumed I would be the victim in a Bully-Nerd relationship with the younger boy.

"It wasn't a fight. He was voicing some built up frustrations to me and in the course said some things that he may or may not have meant. I lost my cool and punched him."God mom was in front of me now and she raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry the kid's not fragile he can take a hit."

"That's not the point! You shouldn't go around hitting…humans." She lowered her gaze and her voice when I looked up at her with the signature 'are you serious?' face. I was in fact still human so hitting another human was technically acceptable.

"If you're so worried about him, I can vouch that in a few weeks he'll probably be stronger than I am and you'll have to keep _him_ from pummeling _me_ into the ground." That interested her again.

"What do you mean?" She studied my expression.

"That kid's a year younger than me and he's always been small. He must've had a major growth spurt to catch up to me in 3 years." I was dropping hints. Godmom didn't show that she was getting it. "He's gonna phase." Godmom looked surprised. It took me a while to realize the implications of what I'd said. It didn't take her long at all.

"There haven't been any induced phases since the Volturi thing. If you're sure he's going to phase that means there have been leeches running around _here_ and a lot of them." She ran a hand through her hair. It wasn't as long as she liked it evidently but I'd never seen her with long hair. She kept it short but it was styled and layered. The occasional highlights would sometimes carry over into her wolf form. But now wasn't the time to focus on god mom's beauty habits. "Are you sure he's phasing? I mean boys tend to shoot up quickly." I knew why she was asking useless questions. If Hunter phases that means the vampires that murdered the two escorts have long since left Olympia and have made their way closer to LaPush and Forks. That or Bella and Renesmee got too close to him when they were here.

The first reason sounds more dramatic though.

"His skin's pretty warm. Not as warm as it will be but it's still noticeable. He noticed it too since he's been questioning-"

"Questioning what?" Whoops. The cat's out of the bag already, might as well bring it home.

"He's worried about Solomon. Wants to know what's up with the pack. They have a name now. The Elders' Chosen or some crap like that. He knows about the haven school although he's not quite sure what it is and he's pretty adamant about getting information out of me." I explained calmly. That's when I remembered I had delicious cereal in front of me and I was not about to let it get any soggier.

"We may need to reel him in quickly then. I know Solomon wanted his brother to stay out of it but he may have no choice. Keep us updated and if he tries to incite too much speculation let us know so we can handle it." She turned to leave the room but stopped. "And if any of the guys come in here and congratulate you on 'dropping' Hunter, tell them I'm gonna 'drop' them." She left the room as soon as I confirmed that I would. It left me feeling antsy and nervous. I guess I felt like a spy or a pawn. I had to spy on the humans and keep them quiet. It would be easy because I was still human myself but my lineage already pegged me as slightly untouchable. I felt like a weird double agent, a half breed.

I never felt more in tune with the woes of my sisters.

* * *

**A/N: **Surprise! A chapter before the weekend. (probably because I'm in a good mood since one of my classes got cancelled on friday :p) anyway review and tell me what you think!


	10. Leonard's Ballad:10

"So I hear you punched Solomon's brother in the face." Claire said as I got into her car. It was the third day in a row that I had nothing to do. I could always go to class at the tribal school but I'd prefer to skip the awkwardness and just wait until Aunt Tamyra has time to home school me and my sisters again. Claire was bored as well, having gotten fed up with wedding plans and not having Quil around. She called me up so we were off on a day to Port Angeles. "Solomon's kind of upset, but Quil said he laughed with the rest of the guys when he told them about his black eye."

"I gave him a black eye?" Claire laughed.

"No. You're so gullible. It barely left a scratch." I slumped in my seat. Not to toot my own horn but I thought it had been a pretty good punch. "Did Leah flip out on you?" She asked suddenly worried.

"Not really, she's more worried about his phasing."

"Hunter's gonna phase?" Claire asked in surprise as we drove up the road leading away from the Rez.

"I think so." I shrugged. I could feel Claire eyeing me. I sighed loudly when she didn't say anything for a few moments. "What?" I grumbled.

"Nothing, it's just…" She trailed off and I was becoming annoyed at her sudden lack of speech. "I'm writing a book." This was an unexpected change of subjects and I told her so. She just shrugged in response. "It's something I've wanted to do." I nodded more than a little curious about this book.

"Wanna tell me what's it about?" I suggested hoping she would divulge some details.

"Anything and everything. I have about 3 chapters outlined. And I have a title. It's going to be called 'In Like with Life'. " She gasped after she said that as if she'd surprised herself. "I have a character modeled after you." She nudged me in the shoulder.

"Is he the best looking guy in the book?" She laughed again.

"I don't know about that. He won't appear until chapter 4."She stopped suddenly as if she wanted to say more but thought better of it.

"What's that chapter called?" She hesitated and I instantly knew this was what she was going to tell me.

"'When bad things happen to good people.'" We fell silent. A sympathetic smile crossed her face. I wasn't quite sure why but I instantly got defensive. I'd been complaining about my life forever but when someone else verbalizes their recognition of my turmoil I felt the need to protest.

"Are you sure that's not more of a Leah chapter?" I tried to joke but Claire instantly shook her head.

"You were the first person that popped into my head when I wrote the title down. I finished chapter 3 and I could tell it was building up to something, I just don't know what yet." She mused and I could tell that she forgot she was speaking to me halfway through her statement.

"Maybe it's not building up to anything. Maybe life really does just suck and then you die." My tone was a mix of anger and amusement. Claire caught on though I was trying to hide the former emotion. We travelled on in silence. Claire was probably regretting ever telling me about her book. I couldn't let her think I was so sensitive that she couldn't share one of her passions with me. "So what's your pen name going to be?" Claire brightened immediately when I spoke again.

"Pen name?"

"Yeah, all the great authors have pen names. You don't want to just go by Claire Young-"

"Ateara."She needlessly corrected. "Soon to be anyway."

"Right. You want to be mysterious. Take on a whole new identity." She laughed as I teased her.

"Okay well let me think." She took on a pensive look for a few silent seconds. "I've got it. LaMême Chose." I gave her a look indicating I didn't understand the significance. "It's French. Well kinda. When my parents sent me to Paris for my graduation present I had a guide that would always say 'c'est la même chose,' or something like that, whenever he'd be explaining something or would contradict himself. He seemed so carefree." She sighed happily on the memory and I couldn't help but wonder if she ever told Quil about this French guide. "He reminded me a lot of Sahara, so happy and bubbly all the time." She smiled at her memory then turned on some music in the car. When we reached Port Angeles, Claire made our first stop at a store.

"Why are we at a children clothing store?" I questioned in confusion as I stepped out of the car. Claire was already near the entrance. She turned back to look at me when it clicked. "Oh gosh Claire you're not-"

"God no, Leo. What kinda girl do you think I am?" She teased, _knowing _I knew what kind of girl she was then stepped inside, I followed her, more settled now that I knew she wasn't pregnant. "I'm shopping for clothes for the kids." And by kids I knew she meant the quads, and Kim and Jared's kids.

"I won't answer your question then." I joked and she turned to stick her tongue out at me. When we had been ruffling through little boy clothes for about five minutes I grew tired and bored. "Do you ever feel suffocated?" The question came out after bypassing my brain filter completely. Claire looked up from the jean jumper she was holding.

"Suffocated how?" She asked and went to grab another piece of clothing.

"By the imprint." I said and she froze. "By Quil." She just stared at me for a few seconds before dropping her gaze and busying herself with looking through clothes again.

"Not anymore. I used to feel that way growing up. I went from adoring Quil to darn near hating him when I hit my teens. I like to call it Imprint Rebellion." She laughed though it didn't sound genuine. "It wasn't a good time for me. I was moody and angry and I lashed out a lot. My parents were thinking about sending me away but Quil insisted that I stay around family. I guess when I saw how much he was willing to fight for me even though I wasn't his own blood I began to appreciate him." She paused to smile at her own memory. "I haven't stopped loving him since then. Why did you ask?" Now it was my turn to look away.

"I was just thinking about Emileah." Claire immediately nodded her head in understanding. "She used to be happier, but it feels like everyday she gets angrier and testy and-"

"What do you expect?" Claire asked suddenly. It was louder than her previous words but still not loud enough to draw the attention of the other customers. "She's been ignoring Collin since she was what? Five? Six? She's refusing her other half, she's denying him and herself true happiness." Claire said the words angrily and I could only assume that she'd said this many times to Emileah herself.

"Are you guys okay?" The way Claire's face immediately fell answered my question. She started to shrug it off but supplied me with an answer.

"I try to stick with her but over the past few months it's like she's dwindling." Claire paused to pick up another pair of sweat pants. "It's like she's diminishing and I want my friend back." As we approached the checkout line I let the weight of Claire's words fall on me.

Imprinting was a lot messier than I originally thought it to be.

* * *

**A/N: **I've been slacking on replying to reviews. My bad. Oh and someone (sorry being lazy and didnt pull up another tab with review pages)asked about Leo punching Hunter being a hint that he's gonna phase....actually Leo is a pretty strong kid. He lifts weights (first chap) and stuff so he's pretty strong for a human. Your reviews are great guys! Keep em comin! Oh and I realized that Claire probably doesn't have the last name of Young...oh well close enough.


	11. Leonard's Ballad:11

I wasn't sure what sparked it but I had been hanging around tribal school grounds when someone grabbed me and pulled me into an alley. I was about to curse my pretty boy looks and my long hair for getting me grabbed by a man that probably mistook me for some hot babe. That was until I heard my captor's voice.

"Shut up Uley and you'll be okay." His hand was clamped over my mouth so I just relaxed my tense muscles and mumbled an 'okay'. He removed the hand over my mouth but his tight grip on my arms didn't loosen. He pulled me until we were on the other side of the school headed for the forest. He must've been closer to the phase then I thought because I worried that my wrists were going to break. He kept looking back at me with this wild look in his eyes as if he wasn't sure of what he was doing. I didn't say anything, just let myself be led away. Besides I was sure there were at least 4 people on patrol. Someone would be watching if anything happened, like him trying to get revenge for that punch from a few days ago. We finally came to a stop once we were shrouded in forest, completely hidden from view of the Rez. "Okay Uley, you're gonna tell me what I want to know." He walked a few feet away from me and even though he talked like he was confident I could tell by the quiver in his voice that he was nervous.

Or scared.

"I can't make any promises but I'll see what I can do." He was surprised by my civility. He tried to hide the shock that flashed across his face.

"The Chosen. What do they do? I know you won't tell me but why are they so secretive?"

"I assure they do what they do to protect the tribe. It's better for you if you don't know details." He nodded his head as if he heard this before. "Have you asked your parents?" He nodded once. "What did they tell you?" He shrugged.

"They said Solomon's a great boy and that he keeps to himself for good reason. They speak so highly of him and not just because of his degree. They're proud of him and pity him at the same time. I feel like I know nothing about my family. It's like they're one way with Solomon and completely different with me. And the family I know is so superficial and fake that I can't stand it." The guy must be perceptive. He could actually pick up on his parents treating him differently.

"How are they fake?" I asked falling quickly into shrink mode.

"I dunno. They just-I feel like they're always beaming at him with these genuine smiles on their faces when he comes by. And when he makes surprise visits for dinner they ask him all sorts of questions and just kind of forget I exist. Then he leaves and their smiles fade and they always speak in code, I know they're hiding something from me." He glanced at me skeptically. My expression hadn't changed. "And don't you laugh at me Uley," he pointed at me. "Because I'm bigger than you now and I can beat you to a pulp!"

"I'm not gonna laugh Hunt. Believe me I know what you mean." I earned his attention as a look of surprise crossed his face. "And I've learned that it's better to not question what that group does and let them be. They don't bother anyone else on the Rez, they keep to themselves and help out in the community."

"I would agree with you," he paused and I knew there was an exception to his statement. "But I'm worried." He quickly looked down after that.

"You don't have to worry about them-"

"Not them. Me." My face betrayed me as I let my first emotion break through. "I'm-Uley I'm warning you, you better not laugh!" I simply nodded to reassure him that I would do no such thing. "I'm worried and scared that something's going to happen to me." He mumbled it and I almost couldn't hear it. I took a few steps closer.

"What do you think is going to happen-"

"I don't know!" He all but screamed and immediately looked apologetic. "I've been feeling weird and the other day I saw a bunch of the Chosen standing together on the street and I don't know but I felt drawn to them. Like drawn to them by some force or something."He did a weird hand motion to emphasize the point. "It was freaky. I felt hypnotized. I didn't snap out of it until my friends called to me. Then the Chosen looked up, a little confused as to why I'd just crossed the street and made my way to them." This news I found very interesting. That means his body was subconsciously identifying its own. Hunter was going to change, I was sure of it. I'd never felt the pull or never acknowledged it. Maybe it was because I've always been with pack. I never felt a longing but it's obvious that these days the pack was more isolated from the rest of the Rez than before, mainly because none of them were school age anymore.

Hunter was an isolated wolf and was being pulled to the others.

I was envious.

Envious of the fact that he was able to sense his change. Envious that he was going to change period. I wanted it. But how could I attain such a-

"On second thought, maybe you do have cause to worry." Hunter narrowed his eyes suspiciously, no doubt wondering about my sudden change of heart. "I mean, a group like that shouldn't be able to have such mystical siren like power. We need to find out what they're up to." I knew this proposition was going to get me in major trouble with god-mom but right now I didn't care. "Let's snuff these guys out."

"What are you thinking Uley?" He asked me still a little suspicious of my intentions.

"I say we gather your friends and publicize our concerns. We force the Chosen and the Elders to speak to us and tell us what's going on. It's as much our Rez as it is there's."

"Uley," his eyes brightened in excitement. "You've got a good head on your shoulders. I'll call my friends and we'll talk tomorrow." And with that my new found ally ran off back towards town. I on the other hand, waited until the nosey wolves on patrol, made themselves known.

"Leonard! Are you insane?" I smacked myself! How did I not know Quil was on patrol? The beta? Seriously Leo, how idiotic could you get? Oh well too late to back out now. "Did you just encourage an outsider to find out more about us?" He continued. He was naked but that wasn't my concern. It was the furious look in his eyes that somehow managed to ignite guilt in my stomach which reminded me that he was angry enough to rip his phasing pants (which I previously thought was darn near impossible) hence his nudity. I looked down.

"He's not an outsider." I argued.

"He's not a wolf." I looked up to see Uncle Seth come out of the woods. Now there really was no way to keep this from god mom. "Leo what were you thinking?" His voice was heavy with disappointment.

"He's gonna change!" I blurted, feeling every insecure muscle in my 16 year old body.

"How are you so sure?" Quil asked. He didn't believe that I could be that intuitive.

"I know. I can tell."

"How?" He asked a little rougher. I sighed.

"When you live in someone's shadow for so long, you learn more about them than they do themselves. I know he's gonna change because he's changing in every way I'm not!" It had been a while since I'd had a temper tantrum but I felt it well deserved. Had I not regained my composure so quickly I probably would have added a foot stamp. "He's got the right idea anyway. He knows you guys are weird!"They both flinched, "Why do I have to keep a secret that's not my own? You call them outsiders because they're humans and because they haven't phased."I could feel myself getting louder. "Well neither have I. In fact he's less of an outsider than I am!" I vaguely noted Seth taking cautious steps closer to me. I had to get out of here before he slipped into fatherly mode. "So I'm going to leave now and extricate myself from the group because I obviously don't belong there. You're all in breach of some unwritten contract that says outsiders aren't allowed in the pack." I immediately turned around and ran out of the forest. I knew the two could easily catch me.

But I knew Seth would catch on to the fact that I would appreciate not being reminded of my weakness at this point in time.

* * *

**A/N: **I didn't actually think this chapter would come this quick but hey what can I say?


	12. Leonard's Ballad:12

"You're an idiot." Emileah told me when we crossed paths in a store. The pack didn't think that I was serious at first about removing myself from the shape shifting world. Even Leah doubted the strength of my resolve. I expected no less from the others so when I packed up my two bags worth of belongings and sought residence elsewhere, outside of the Haven home and pack homes, I was met by a congratulatory pat from my god-mother.

"_Leah are you sure this is a goo-" God-mom stopped Tre with a hand._

"_If he wants to be human for once, who are we to stop him?" Tre shrugged but I could tell it was forced. He was still concerned for my well being even if his imprint told him not to. _

"Why do we all have to suffer because of your teenage rebellion?" Emileah asked as she flipped a chocolate bar over in her hands. Only she would find a way to be selfish over my life.

"That's not my problem." I turned away from her but of course she had to be a show off and use her super human speed to sprint to the other side and block me.

"Are you trying to expose us? Because if you are, you know the Elders are going to banish you or worse have you executed." I almost faltered there, because she managed to say all of that without a care in the world even if it was an exaggeration. It was as if she really didn't care and for that moment in my life I was absolutely frightened of my younger sister, because she was a tailored machine that has seen more gore than I probably ever will and could easily snap my neck, plead momentary insanity and come out with nothing more than a Leah Spanking and a warning.

"Well either way, that sticks you with just Sahara for eternity." And I was cocky again. She flashed me a fake smile without looking me in the eye then tossed the candy bar in my basket. "Who says I'm buying this for you?" She didn't reply and just sauntered off and out the door. Apparently she was too good to wait in lines.

"Uley," I looked up at the cashier addressing me. "You're Sam Uley's kid right?" I nodded hesitantly. The kid was older than me, that I could tell, probably a junior or senior in high school. He smirked then glanced around nervously. I continued to look at him waiting for him to introduce himself. "I'm Wilson. Hunter told me what you guys are planning." This interested me and the strange feeling crept into my stomach again. I felt myself leaning in closer to him. The secrecy and guilt were swarming. "You really gunning it for the Elders and their Chosen?" I wouldn't choose those words per se but I gathered what he was asking.

"We're working out the details but I believe that we have the right to know about these so called '_Protectors'_." He smiled evily. I returned it.

"I want in," was all he said before finishing up the bagging of my items. "So does Stacey and Tracey."

"Girls?" I asked wondering just how many friends Hunter was getting in contact with.

"Tracey's a girl. Stacey's a boy. They're dating." I nodded absentmindedly at the information. "They're only juniors but they have a large following at the high school. Get them to join and the Elder's won't help but notice us." He encouraged. My guilt was swiftly changing into something else. It was like an adrenaline rush.

I liked it.

"Good to know." I paid for my purchases then left the store. I noticed that Emileah was nearly a block away. She was at Jared and Kim's house. Kim was outside on the porch with her daughter on her lap. Emileah spotted me first but didn't acknowledge my approach.

"Hello Leo."

"Hello Kim." I didn't see the need to be rude to Kim. She was after all only human and her husband had retired a few years back so technically he was changing back to human. "How have you been?" She smiled and it brought back some of the guilt I was harboring.

"Good, good. My hands are full with this little one. Good thing Jason isn't a handful."Yet, I added in my own thoughts. After hanging with the quads for a few more years, Paul Junior will be sure to rub off on him. "I hear you're taking on some new life choices." Emileah snickered. I couldn't blame her. The way Kim said it, it sound like I was discovering some alternative lifestyle or something.

"Just trying to find my own way is all." I assured her.

"Just don't think you have to go it alone, okay."Crap.

The sincerity in her voice made me want to get on my knees and confess my secret plans that were barely in the works and asked to be punished.

But I didn't. She was still the same sweet woman that had taken me in a few years back, had cared for me, just as tenderly as Leah did. I only nodded in response to what she said. Emileah by this time was rifling through my bag looking for her candy. I reached in and handed it to her. We bid Kim a goodbye before heading down the street.

"You find a place to live yet?" She asked. I realized that this was as close to genuine concern as I was going to get from my sister.

"Not yet. Hunter offered me his place but I don't want his 'rents or Solomon asking questions."

"Just get one of your followers to board you." She shrugged. I froze. The way she said 'followers' let me know that she had in fact heard the conversation that had occurred between me and the clerk in the store. I was confused as to why she was being so…advising and slightly worried that she might break our sibling code and relay my shenanigans to the parental units.

"What's up with you today?" I knew she'd catch the underlying question. It was then that she finally looked into my eyes since we'd been in the store.

"I'm allowed to care for your well being," she said sincerely. "Even if you're trying to drag our family down and look like an utter fool doing it." The tone she used could have been mistaken as pleasant, had I not been listening to what she was saying. She turned away from me, having succeeded at leaving me speechless. "Looks like this is where we part ways." It was then that I noticed that I had been heading back to the Haven house. I looked past it and stared out into the forest.

"Yeah, looks that way." She didn't say anything after that and just walked up into the house. I kept on a straight path headed into the trees. I had left my bags in dense area of the forest, having set up a makeshift camp the night before. I spread out my things. I probably should have been worried, even a little scared at camping out in the woods. But I was a realist. I knew my mother and Tre would have our-_their _pack making a stop to check on me during their rounds. Even if I was a backstabber, she'd never let me die.

Because she made a promise to my father that she would take care of me.

And if something happened to me on her watch that meant she failed.

And Leah Clearwater doesn't fail. Not anymore.


	13. Leonard's Ballad:13

"This was the worst idea I've ever had in my life." I said to the trees as I sat shivering in my tent wrapped in a comforter. So my whole plan to rough it in the woods away from the pack was pretty solid until it rained. After the tent collapsed 3 times and I failed to start a fire after 2 and a half hours worth of attempts, I settled for just sitting inside my useless housing and enjoy my hearty dinner consisting of potato chips. Then I heard a howl.

Followed by a twig snap.

Normally I shouldn't be so startled by such things but I know for a fact that howl belonged to either Brady or Collin and it was nowhere near my location. I poked my head out of the tent. I remained quiet until I heard a few more snaps and rustling.

Okay that sounds like human steps, so I wont get devoured by a wild animal tonight.

It would be my luck to be related to a whole pack of mutant wolves then get killed by normal size one.

"Leo!" That definitely sound like Claire.

"Claire what are you-" She stepped into my camp in a hoodie, carrying an umbrella and a large tote bag. "-doing out this late at night." She rolled her eyes.

"You worry about me-a _grown_ woman-being outside at midnight and here you are camping out in some god forsaken part of the woods…" she trailed off as she set the bag down and began pulling things out of it.

"What's all this?" I finally exited the tent though I was still wrapped in the comforter. She looked up at me then did a double take. Then she started laughing loudly.

"Seriously Leo?" She pointed to me. "You _do_ know that people usually camp out in sleeping bags. Not blankets from your bed. Leah's gonna have fun trying to wash the mud out of that thing." She leaned back down to continue pulling out items. I felt offended at her insinuation that I didn't know how to camp out.

"I wanted to be comfortable." She laughed again but didn't give much of a response.

"Didn't you guys camp out a lot when you were travelling?" I frowned. Now that I thought about it, the others did when they were on a mission but I was usually left at the nearest Haven house or checkpoint when they did that. "Guess not. Anyway, the packs have been ordered to stay away from you to give you your space but since I'm not a wolf I don't have to listen to that mumbo jumbo." She handed me a covered dish that had been sitting in the bottom of the tote. "Tamyra cooked this for you. And Kim threw in a few oatmeal raisin cookies. She knows how you love those." She pulled out a zip-loc bag filled with crayons and a coloring book." Sahara thought you might get bored." Claire then reached into her pocket. "Here's $1.50 from Emileah she said for her chocolate bar or something." She pointed to the rest of the bagged items. "The rest of this are some assorted items from Leah and Tre, they said you may need." She then clapped her hands together.

"Is that all?" I asked in a little disbelief and annoyance that my family thought so little of my ability to survive on my own.

"Yeah I think that's- oh wait." She dug into her hoodie pocket and pulled out a box. "Collin and Brady said you might need these if you bring any ladies back to your bachelor pad-"I knocked the box out of her hand and into the mud which spurned even more laughter from her.

"Ugh! I'm gonna kill those perverts!"

"Hey I agreed with them."

"Geez Claire, you are such a bad influence. I'm surprised Emileah isn't wilder having a best friend like you." Claire just shrugged the amused smile still crossing her face. "Anyway, thanks for bringing this uh stuff."

"No problem lil cuz." Her smile fell then she stood directly in front of me. "Take care of yourself. And don't do anything foolish."

"Yeah yeah." She hugged me and was heading back the way she came a few seconds later.

That was the night I learned I had no self control.

I woke up with a stomach ache after having eaten half the food Tamyra sent and the 2 dozen oatmeal raisin cookies from Kim.

Though to be fair I held off for an entire half hour after Claire left. I told myself I was going to be defiant and not give into weakness and use the supplies that the pack had given me.

Who am I kidding? I was salivating when I saw those cookies.

After spending an entire morning being nauseated, bathing in a nearby stream, and packing up my camp, I was ready for the nightly gathering that had been scheduled with Hunter. I was finally going to meet the group of friends he had corralled.

"Okay everybody shut up!" Hunter stood up and addressed everyone. I was standing behind him and a little off to the side. I knew none of the pack would be at the beach so we had our first meeting of the 'Rez Rogues' tonight. Most were kids from the high school. I remembered a few from when I attended for a year. "We're all here for a purpose. We know the Council is hiding something from us in plain sight. The Chosen. We don't know who those spoiled brats think they are but we are here to find out. Leonard Uley," I looked up as he said my full name for the first time. -is from the inside. He's going to help us. He knows more than any of us do and if he's suspicious we have reason to worry." I was surprised really that a boy younger than me could command such respect from the large group. He motioned for me to come forward so I did.

"Not sure how to follow that act." No laughs… great. I rubbed my neck awkwardly. "Anyway, I know they're up to something. We just need to figure out what it is." A girl raised her hand.

"You mean you don't know?" She asked. It was a valid question.

"What's your name again?"

"Tracey." I felt embarrassed that I'd forgotten one of the top players in our game.

"I don't know exactly, Tracey," It wasn't a complete lie. I'd never phased, I didn't know firsthand what it was like to be a shape shifter. "They kind of kept me isolated, but with just enough information to keep me from asking questions." Tracey and the group seemed to take in my explanation. Tracey's eyes lit up again.

"Why are you asking questions now?" She seemed purely curious as opposed to accusing. I glanced back at Hunter.

"Let's just say Hunter enlightened me."I smirked at him and he returned one. "I realized that I should be asking more questions than I was, as opposed to taking everything they said at face value and accepting everything told to me as truth." The group agreed and more emotions slipped into my cauldron of trouble.

Pride.

Someone else raised their hand. Their body was partially hidden by the small fire we had lit.

"What do you propose we do Uley?" I looked around at everyone.

"We gather as many as we can to the cause and we make a stand. Our people have been oppressed for years. We don't need to be treated as such in this day and age and by our own people no less." There were a few cheers of approval. I wasn't even sure what I was saying but it must sound good."We have questions and we want answers. So I say we go out there and get some!" Most had risen to their feet in excitement. There were cat calls and hoots amongst the cheers. Hunter moved to my side.

"Nice going Uley. We'll make you a Rogue yet." I was beaming at that point for one reason and one reason only.

I felt like I belonged.

* * *

**A/N: **Uh-oh? How ya feeling about Leo now?


	14. Leonard's Ballad:14

"Here you are Mr. Uley," the principal handed me a packet of papers, "just read through those and have Leah sign them for you." I frowned. I had hoped that I could just re-enroll myself back into the tribal school. He picked up on my confusion. "I know we had papers on file from Rachel when you were younger but once you hit the senior high courses, there are some protocol changes, you have to renew enrollment." I left the school and went straight to the Haven house. I hoped god mom was inside, alone, so I could get in and get out. I started to knock but settled for just walking in.

"Leo, what a surprise." I gulped. Not only was god mom not in the house alone, but the whole pack was there as well. At least most of Embry's pack was absent, outside of Embry himself and Quil. "What brings you by?" Emileah continued, taking joy out of putting the spotlight on me.

"Decide to come home finally?" Collin jibed, probably fueled by Emileah's taunting. I shook my head in response.

"I just need to speak to godm-Leah."

"Oh, she's just Leah now." Collin drawled in mock surprise. Tre punched him in the arm effectively silencing him.

"What did you need?" God mom finally asked from her place at the kitchen island next to Tamyra. I handed her the packet of papers.

"Could you sign these," She raised an eyebrow. Everyone else seemed to take in a breath, curiosity probably eating them alive. Of course everyone would want to know what type of papers, I brought home for god mom to sign. "They're just papers so I can re-enroll at the high school." front door slammed and I turned around realizing that Emileah had just left. No one else was affected apparently by her uncharacteristic dramatic exit. Leah and Tamyra shared a glance. The

I really hated when they did that, share thoughts mentally without cueing anyone else in, specifically me.

Aunt Tamyra looked at me then. "You know Leo, I always save a seat for you in the Haven scho-"

"I'd rather attend the tribal school. It's more my heritage than the Haven school." I knew godmom and Tre were probably giving me the same stern look for cutting my aunt off. She didn't seem offended, she just nodded sadly. God mom was back to studying me, probably looking for any sign of weakness, a crack in my resolve.

I knew she wouldn't find any.

She grabbed the papers and signed them quickly without a word. She slid them back to me and I left before anyone could say anything. I paused just outside the door and realized there was no sight of Emileah.

"Mr. Uley," the principal began probably surprised to see me back in his office less than an hour after I had just left. "Back so soon."

"I'm just excited to start school."

Suddenly it was 'Us' and 'Them'. And just as suddenly I now took up residence in any and every home of the Rez Rogues. My home that I had made in the forest was long since abandoned. The revolution that was the Rez Rogues was sweeping through. The girls had taken to designing shirts. They were intricately designed, red shirts with black lettering. When I recommended a picture of a wolf being restrained, they never accused it of being sacrilege. They outdid themselves on the art. I was pleased. We were pleased. We took the halls of the school, preferring to stick together and show off our paraphernalia. Our meetings became regular and more and more students attended.

Mainly because it was a rule that we never spoke our true intents outside of those meetings. Students came, were enlightened, and returned to school on Monday with a knowing smile and a red shirt. Before I knew it, almost a third of the high school students were in on the thrill.

"I hear Jake Black ran off with some white girl and Billy disowned him that's why Embry Call is Chief." A girl said at the main Rez Rogue table at lunch. I didn't know what had suddenly turned this conversation into gossip hour.

"Really, I heard that too." Another girl responded. "My brother is only a few years younger than them, he said that the Chosen all got into some trouble with the law way back, so they stay on the Rez to work off some community service and that they have to work extra to pick up Jake Black's slack." I smirked to myself while looking down at my food.

"Well, those are all nice rumors but I know," Hunter said to the table immediately drawing all eyes to him, "what they're really doing." He paused for dramatic effect, and I couldn't help my own curiosity at finding out what he was going to say. "I've been outside at two and three in the morning when a bunch of 'em will go out into the east woods and they'll have kids and teens with them when they return."He looked around waiting for someone to react. "Kids that aren't from the reservation." He looked around again, no one got it. He huffed. "It's obvious they're part of some illegal child trade." Everyone gasped.

I nearly choked on my cheeseburger. Stacey reached and hit me on the back a few times probably because he didn't know how to do the Heimlich maneuver. Hunter looked at me curiously.

"What you don't believe me?" Hunter asked and it took me a few moments to regain my bearings.

"I wasn't in on much but I can promise you it's not that type of trade." A few of the girls breathed in relief. A few of the guys still looked suspicious.

"How can you be so sure Uley? You said yourself they didn't let you in on a lot of stuff. How do you know Hunt's not right?" Ah, Wilson, the clerk that had approached me. The kid had started irking me. He was quick to jump in on drama and agree with the worst case scenario in everything. I was beginning to think he was just in our group because he got a thrill out of being a rebel.

"Maybe Uley's right," Tracey started, coming to my rescue before I could respond to Wilson. "Maybe they're doing some sort of underhanded foster care. I mean who _really _wants to enter the system?" She asked rhetorically though a few nodded to themselves in agreement. "Just look at Uley, he's an orphan and he never had to go through the system." A few gave me uneasy glances. Hunter turned to me and looked at me dead on.

"Well Uley, what do you think?" Hunter was turning out to be a pretty good friend to me, once we got over the whole I punched him in the face thing. It wasn't how I initially intended for our alliance to go. It was burgeoning on friendship which made it that much harder for me to ignore the tingling in the back of my brain that told me I would lose him soon.

"I think Tracey may have something." I suggested. "I mean even if it is, we still deserve to know what they're doing."

"Yeah and what they're doing with the money from their operation." Someone added from the other end of the table. I noticed Hunter was still staring at me.

"What?" I asked and he didn't respond immediately.

"You know," he paused to rub his chin, "if what Tracey says is correct, you were their first." My eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Their first what?" I asked not quite understanding why he was studying me.

"Their first illegal foster kid." The table stopped again to look at me and wait for my reaction. So I did the only thing I could think of.

I laughed out loud.

Everyone was confused of course by the reaction, a few added their own uneasy chuckles. I was drawing a few strange looks from people at other tables but I didn't care, I needed time to figure out how to navigate this mine field that was Hunter's accusations.

"Well if I start recalling regressed memories of cruelty and torture you'll be the first to know." I laughed again, this time it was more genuine though.

I wondered if they would appreciate the story of the one time that Uncle Seth, Brady, and Collin let a pack of gorilla shape shifters babysit me when I was five. The three guys had returned after a mission to find me hanging from a tree branch by my t-shirt…

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**A/N: **I'm having some transition trouble...as in I feel this part of the story is moving kind of fast because I have main scenes outlined but none of the filler scenes...oh well I'll work on it. Review please :)

Oh and don't you love how he's not Leo to the humans...he's Uley :p


	15. Leonard's Ballad:15

"You take that back you jerk!" I stopped by my locker when I undeniably heard Paul Jr yelling from around a corner. I turned around and headed in the direction of the elementary wing of the school. When I rounded the corner I saw Paul Junior and Jason both being pinned to a row of lockers. Paul Junior was trying to resist but it was obvious the boy holding them was much bigger than Junior. That angered me but what angered me more was that the bigger boy was a freshman and a Rogue.

"Get off of them!" I easily pushed the freshman off of Junior and Jason. Jason was panting, the boy had obviously been hindering his air supply. Speaking of said bully, he was now staring at me in wide eyed fear.

"They're part of the Chosen!" He tried to reason with me. I wasn't having it.

"They're kids you overgrown bully!" I stopped and got a real good look at him. "You're one of Wilson's posse aren't you?" The boy looked away which was answer enough for me. "Stop hanging on Wilson's every word, he's a bad influence." I ended the conversation with a good shove to send the boy in the opposite direction. I turned to Junior and Jason. Jason was looking at me with gratitude while Junior still looked aggravated. "I'm sorry about him guys."

"Don't bother!" Junior spat. "You're nothing but a traitor anyways!" Jason looked over at Junior but the youngest boy was still angry. "I had it handled! Your stupid friends always try to beat us up, I could've taken him."

"He was twice your size Junior!" Junior shrugged sharply.

"I've taken on bigger. Only one I've never gotten was Willie or Wils- something. But that's 'cause he's gigantic!" Junior was grumbling the whole time. I knew immediately he was talking about Wilson, I wondered if we had any protocol for how to kick someone out of the Rez Rogues. Jason turned back to me when Junior was done.

"He's right. He's a really good fighter."Jason explained talking about Junior, "The older boys see him as a threat, mainly the middle schoolers but only recently have the high schoolers been coming after us."

"Only you guys?" I asked as I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. Jason nodded.

"Us and the rest of the quads," Jason leaned forward to whisper to me," I try to have the quads leave the school quickly when I see the high school boys coming and they usually listen, but Junior," Jason tilted his head in the younger boy's direction, "always comes back. He doesn't think I can handle myself."

"You can't, you're still too small." Junior argued.

"Have you told your dads about this?" I asked interjecting before Junior could make Jason feel any worse about himself.

"Are you crazy Leo?" Junior screeched, "Dad would kill those boys if he knew. Plus he taught me how to be a fighter, I don't need his help."

"We don't want you to get in trouble."Jason added as if correcting Junior's previous statement, "You know with starting your new…club." He finished uneasily.

"Jason, I don't care about that," I placed a hand on his shoulder, "You let me know if any more guys with those shirts come after you. They shouldn't be. And you shouldn't have to be a martyr," I placed my other hand on Junior's shoulder though he weakly tried to shove it off. "Neither do you, Paul." It hurt to know that the boys were trying to cover for me at their own expense. Junior's eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at something behind me.

"Well well, Uley, going soft are we?" Speak of the devil.

"What do you want Wilson?" I asked turning around, "And why are your lackeys coming after these boys?"I thumbed back in their direction as Wilson took a few steps toward me.

"Because they're the bastard kids of those Chosen scum." I shot an arm out to stop Junior from advancing on Wilson. Man that temper he got from his father is really a curse.

"They're little kids Wilson, this doesn't involve them." I said calmly as I advance on the older teen.

"It does if it means they're going to grow up and be just like their dads!" That one stung and I felt myself getting angry on their behalf. Or maybe I was just taking this too personal.

"I don't care if their dads are serial killers, you're not going to attack them! That's not what we're about!"

"They need to be taught a lesson young, that they aren't the spoiled brats that they're being raised to be."

"They don't need to be taught anything, least of all by _you_."I pointed in his direction, "Our problem is with the Elder's Council, not a bunch of innocent kids that you can get your jollies off of torturing. Now if I hear one more instance about you going after them-"

"What are you going to do Uley?" He challenged. I took the remaining two steps up to him and stood right in his face.

"I'll deal with you myself." I tensed when I felt the wind from his arm winding back to punch me, knowing that my reaction time wasn't quick enough to respond. What I wasn't expecting was for the punch to be stopped. I opened my eyes and saw another hand wrapped around Wilson's wrist.

"Am I interrupting something Wilson?" Hunter asked in a calm tone as he held tightly onto Wilson's wrist. Wilson pulled his arm away finally.

"No, not at all. I was just leaving Hunt." Wilson answered while glaring at me. I returned the glare and didn't stop until he walked away from us.

"I had it handled Hunt." I tried to save face.

"Yeah well from my perspective it looked like you were about to get your face smashed in and take it from someone whose had experience," he pretended to massage a nonexistent pain in his jaw "it hurts a lot more than you think."I slapped him on the back playfully knowing he would never forget when I punched him. "What was that all about anyway?"

"Wilson's being a jerk is all."

"Yeah well we should keep the public disputes to a minimum, don't want the Rogues thinking there's a rift between the higher ups." I nodded in agreement. When I looked back, I noticed Junior and Jason were both gone.


	16. Leonard's Ballad:16

"Leonard, you have a call waiting for you at the office." My teacher told me after an office attendant gave her a note. A call, I found was unusual. As I passed through the empty halls, I caught the glances of my comrades through the open doorways as they sat in their classes. Most were looks of concern or curiosity. Being one of the Rez Rogues main leaders, my whereabouts became high interest. I knew that in my avoidance of the packs for the past month, they were bound to grow sick of my absence so I assumed it was one of them on the phone.

"Something's wrong with me." I was wrong. I cupped the office phone closer to me and lowered my voice.

"Hunt what is it?" His voice was strained. Weary. As if he'd been run over and the physical exertion from the pain was too great for his lungs to take in the needed amount of air.

"I don't feel good, but it's more than that." I cringed. My mind was flirting with an idea. "I don't know what it is exactly but-" I sighed figuring where this conversation was going to go but really didn't want it to.

"Hunt, tell me exactly how you feel." I said moving away from the secretary's desk but then remembering that while the rest of the school had been renovated this phone was so 20th century it wasn't funny. Stupid cord.

"I'm really warm. And sweaty. I think it's a bad fever, but I can feel it everywhere," he paused to take in another gulp of air. "It hurts everywhere man. It's like I just ran for days without eating. My muscles are going from feeling really tight to feeling like mush. I can barely move." He groaned just as I sighed.

"And your moods?" I inquired.

"I've been a little testy…or so my mom says but what does she know?" And the slightly inhuman growl that followed that statement was like the nail in the coffin. "Do you think I have the flu?" The way he questioned it I found strange. It was followed by pure silence and I could tell that he'd stopped breathing in anticipation for my response. I knew he wasn't asking if he had the flu. He was asking if I knew what he had. If I knew what this could mean. Again that long buried jealousy flared again, as I realized that he must know something was coming, even more so than before. He could tell that I had information. He knew he didn't have the flu even if he wasn't aware of the fact. He was probably days from becoming a wolf, the one thing that I'd longed for.

"I'm sure that's all it is." I had hung up with him after that. He missed school for the next three days. The next time I saw him, a small group had gathered outside the school office and watched him interact with the workers inside. He was carrying a bag of the belongings from his locker but that wasn't what set me off. It was the fact that he'd grown nearly 6 inches since I'd seen him last and that he wasn't wearing the red shirt. He glanced over his shoulder at the nosey followers. Stacey noticed my approach first.

"What's with Hunt?" He asked me. I shook my head. We watched as Hunter signed some papers then turn and bristly exit. He didn't acknowledge anyone. I knew he wouldn't but I couldn't let him walk out on us like this.

"Wait, Hunter." I called and ran to catch him before he exited the school. He stopped moving and I motioned for the others to stay back. "What's wr-" He stopped me by grabbing my arm. I knew instantly that he was furious. He pulled me along and ground out a 'not here' before emerging from the school. When he found a satisfactory location he pinned me to the wall.

"You knew." Was all he said as his eyes bore into mine. My heart beat in pure fear because I knew. He knew that I knew. We knew that he was a new wolf with probably a fuse the length of a toothpick. "You knew." He repeated. Not bothering to question me. "And you didn't tell me." He let me go and took a few steps back as his voice broke. It was the only evidence that he was still a 14 year old boy and not some hulking 20 year old."Why?" His eyes snapped back to mine.

"I couldn't tell you." He growled out of frustration. He knew this as well but he hoped that I would say something else.

"Why did you lead me on like this? All of them." I found it ironic that he'd already switched roles in his mind. We were now the 'them' to him.

"Don't you mean us?"

"You knew I was going to betray everyone. You knew I was going to-to-"

"I knew before the others yes, that there was a high probability you would phase. I thought that you deserved a chance to answers and explanations when you weren't thrown into the mix, when things were still simple. Before you go home and realize that your superficial parents are going to give you the same looks they give your older brother." He pulled me forward just to slam me back into the wall. I allowed it without resistance because I realized he had just reason to be angry.

"You're risking everything. You would let the secret get out. Do you know what this can do to people?" He screamed at me but I wasn't really listening. I had replayed this conversation in my head over and over because I knew whenever someone from the packs saw me, they judged me all the same.

"It's not my secret to keep."

"It's not yours to tell!" I could hear the inhuman growl build up in his throat.

"I'm a human," I said sharply and he flinched. "Excuse me for wanting to keep my free will. No alpha can make me keep my mouth shut!" I controlled my voice to make sure I didn't start screaming. He had started to tremble but he took in a few calming breaths. It would be most unfortunate for him to phase now and give me the complete look that was my birth mother's.

"You're making a huge mistake if you out the pack. Had I known it was something this big my brother was hiding, I would've dropped it."

"No you wouldn't! If I had came out and told you it was huge you would have just wanted to know more." He knew I was right but he insisted on arguing out of anger and frustration.

"What were you trying to prove?" I didn't answer immediately. I couldn't. I wasn't sure anymore. I just blinked and continued to look at him. He shook his head, obviously disapproving of my silence. "It wasn't me. I know it. This," he pointed around me as if there was some tangible reason as to why I was betraying the pack, "is something else. I just don't know what." He was talking more to himself by this point. He probably hadn't realized that he was walking away from me. I didn't try to stop him. What was the point?

He was a wolf now. He couldn't help me. He only existed to fuel my spite.

I turned back to the school when I saw a bunch of the Rogues standing inside the door. They'd seen the whole thing. I was sure they hadn't heard anything, probably only saw Hunter rough me up a little and a lot of finger pointing from the both of us. I wasn't sure what I should tell them at this point, I was either going to make Hunter out to be a traitor or buy him some more time and say we were just having a difference of opinion.

"What was all that about?" Stacey was the first to question me when I re-entered the building. The others stood around anxiously. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. Then I looked back outside and saw no trace of the new wolf anywhere, figuring he had already disappeared into the forests.

"Hunter's not one of us anymore."

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**A/N: **Surprise! 3 chaps this weekend...because I won't get a chance to update next weekend. (Gotta love conferences) Reviews are grand! I'll go respond to the ones from last chap now.


	17. Leonard's Ballad:17

"I can't believe this." Tracey said for the hundredth time this night. It had been a week since I'd announced that Hunter was no longer a Rogue. Tracey had been the last holdout on the news, not wanting to believe that the leader of the group had bailed on everyone. It had been mere hours since she spotted Hunter walking along the forest edge, shirtless with Embry, Quil, and Solomon. "I just, can't believe this." She shook her head. "I mean, it's one thing to quit us because he's getting too much heat from his parents or because he's just not seeing the purpose anymore but to quit us and to join…_them?!" _She spat it in disgust. "It's just not right." She said. Stacey was quick to agree and comfort his girlfriend. "I just never would have pegged Hunter a traitor."

"Neither did I." Stacey added. I don't know why, but I felt terrible. This had started out as some…something but I didn't know it would end up affecting me so. I knew all along that Hunter was going to turn.

Now I feel as if I'd been lying to myself the whole time.

It still hurt to watch him walk away…be forced away from us. Maybe because not all these guys were nameless, oblivious, humans to me anymore. They were my peers, my friends, in some ways my family.

It hurt to betray the Rogues almost as much as it had to betray the pack.

I sighed as I lowered my head into my hands and watched the sunset on the beach. Stacey, Tracey, and I had decided to meet early before the meeting with the Rogues tonight. We were going to officially denounce all ties to Hunter. A few worried that Hunter would give away our meeting spot and thought we should meet somewhere else.

I told them not to worry. Hunter wouldn't intentionally out us but I'm sure the whole pack now knew all about my leading the Rogues.

I could only put on a brave face and hope we weren't crashed by any of the pack tonight.

"You think his brother got to him?" Tracey suddenly asked. I could tell she was grasping at straws. "Maybe if we remind him that Solomon's just like the others-" I shook my head to stop her.

"Whatever happened, has happened. We've lost him. He's not coming back." I hated to sound harsh but I had to kill her false hope. I was treading a dangerous line, I knew that now. I hadn't realized before how strongly some of these teens felt about the Chosen. They saw it as an injustice to be kept out of knowledge of their own tribe. Two sides that fundamentally stood for the same thing but and didn't know it. And none of them knew just how much I knew.

I was the link between them. Or so I thought.

I hadn't slept comfortably in a while. I felt like I was simultaneously betraying two sides of myself. The part that still felt loyal to the pack was being ignored, disowned. Then the part that felt loyal to the Rogues, no matter how spur of the moment my initial commitment had been, was being betrayed just because I was withholding information about the pack. I was going to hurt someone in the process but I needed to pick a side.

And be on that side wholeheartedly.

"I think it's time we stopped hiding." Everyone looked up to me. Our numbers had grown significantly since that first meeting I'd attended. We now had three fires going. Everyone sat in three large circles. I stood at the head of the center circle. "We've lost a leader but we've gained so many sympathetic to our cause. We need to snuff out the Chosen and we need to do it soon." I continued, as I looked to each circle. Stacey and Tracey were stationed behind me. "We're going to be diplomatic about this, we're not going to be rowdy, little kids and go around starting riots."My gaze instinctively fell on Wilson and his gang of friends. Wilson held my gaze defiantly. "We're going to demand a meeting with the Council and the pa-Chosen," I almost cursed myself for my slip up," And we're going to settle this. We just want to know what's going on. There's no harm in being informed." No one said anything. Everyone was just sitting silently, attentive. "We're going to work together, make a list of our concerns, our questions and present them in an organized manner. So work together, I want three lists, one from each group by the end of this meeting." With that I went to sit in the middle circle and the speaking began. I knew immediately that we'd been spotted though I tried to ignore the three sorrowful howls that filled the forest. It made me wince, it was as if they knew my plan. I'd made my decision, as much as I had been against it before I knew what I had to do.

As soon as the Council meeting was over I was going to stop lying to myself and to my fellow Rogues.

I was going to tell them everything.


	18. Leonard's Ballad:18

I gathered the Rogues outside the Council building. In the past decade they had finally remodeled the building making it a series of offices. It was connected to the newly built shifter school. I knew immediately that some of the students had never seen the inside of the new building. I figured that by the time we arrived the elders and whoever had bothered to come from the pack would already be inside. I ended up being wrong on two accounts. The first account being that not everyone who was going to arrive had. While we stood outside, Hunter showed up. When he spotted us he slowed. His shoulders slumped and I knew despite his magnificent abilities he felt fear at having dozens of eyes staring straight back at him. Condemning and judging him for being a traitor. I didn't meet his eyes as he passed us and entered the building. I tried to convince myself that he'd brought it upon himself but the guilt still gnawed at me.

"Listen up guys. Stacey, Tracey, and I will do the talking. We know what we're here for but the Elders won't give us the time of day if we roll up in there like a bunch of rowdy teenagers. We have to be serious to be taken seriously." I assured them, most nodded in understanding.

"Should we march in or something," A girl asked from the back. "You know like an army?" I shook my head at the question.

"Just walk in an orderly manner. But make sure it shows off our numbers." I knew whoever was in the meeting wouldn't care about our numbers. If they wanted, anyone of them could tear our entire group to shreds. I just had to trust that in my absence the packs still valued human life as much as they always said they did. Tracey got everyone lined up. I led the charge into the building with Stacey and Tracey standing to either side of me, our followers behind us. When I pushed open the double doors to the main meeting hall I was met with my second fallacy.

Everyone was here. Every single wolf (retired or active), imprint, pack child, and elder looked up when I stepped through.

I stopped myself from gulping nervously. I had to remain strong.

_You listen to me Leo." Tre grabbed my shoulders roughly as I wiped away stray tears. "I don't care if they prove you wrong as wrong can be. If you wholeheartedly believe something then you stand for it. Don't you ever let someone draw you away from your beliefs" I nodded but a childish whine still slipped through my throat._

I had to look the part or the whole plan would be ruined.

"_Prove to me that you sincerely stand for what you believe and I will always support you." God mom added as she leaned down to my level. Tre kept a hand on my shoulder._

It was then that I noticed Embry had taken his rightful place at the center Elder seat. A seat previously claimed by Billy Black. Sue sat to his immediate right. I led my group to the empty side of the meeting hall. I glanced over periodically to the full side. I caught eyes with mainly the members of the front row. My old pack claimed those seats. I understood why they were here but I didn't understand why Embry's pack was. Or why Paul and Jared and their families were here. I hadn't personally wronged them.

"Now that everyone is here I think it would be best if we began." Embry's voice was commanding but not loud. Everyone looked forward except for my god mother and Tre. I broke the gaze cursing them for their parental guilt trips. "It is my understanding that the _Rez Rogues_ have something they wish to address to us all." His disgusted look on his face and dismissive wave of his hand when he said our name was what made me angry. Never before had I been this angry at Embry. I had always admired this man but now I saw him for what he was.

An ignorant old man trapped in a teenager's body.

"Excuse me," I stood up and raised my hand already irritated with the meeting. "I mean no disrespect but would it be okay for this to be open floor? You moderating over this is not going to be fair because frankly Mr. Call, you're not impartial." I heard murmurs of agreement coming from behind me. The hisses of disapproval came from the other side. Embry consented with a bow of his head only after shooting a glance at someone. I cursed my human eyes for not being able to see what had transgressed. I turned around and immediately Trace and Stacey came to my side. We were whispering but I knew that most of the people on the other side of the room could hear us clearly.

"I think we should bring up the secrecy and isolation first." Stacey said hurriedly. Tracey nodded in agreement.

"Then we can use Hunter as our example." I had kept the boy in question in my peripheral as he was sat near the back of the room, close to the door. I saw him tense at the mention of his name. "Then we tell them we know about the school."

"I don't think we should lay all our cards on the table just yet." Stacey argued back. I couldn't tell them that we were basically laying out everything anyways and the wolves were probably already concocting counter claims.

Well… technically I could. I'd already made up my mind. I was going to spill the secret to the Rogues after this meeting. I could just cut the time and blurt out all the secrets right here.

"Well then what do you suggest?" Tracey argued back to her boyfriend.

"We have to build up to the big problems, we can't just tell them all our suspicions otherwise they'll counter them," he snapped his fingers, "like that." Stacey then turned to me.

"Don't you agree Leonard?"

"_Too late." Uncle Seth said suddenly. "We're surrounded." When he said that I immediately started looking around in every direction though it was hard because of the way Aunt Tamyra was holding me. Sahara immediately ran to hide behind Brady, I saw Emileah hide behind Tre though both girls had joined the adults in growling at the unseen danger. When four figures came into view, Aunt Tamyra tightened her grip on me. _

"_Identify yourself!" Tre yelled to the four. They finally revealed themselves. They all looked to be in their late teens and early twenties. When I caught sight of their eyes I realized they were vampires. The pack formed a circle so that they could watch each other's backs. A woman with long black hair stepped forward and I realized she must be the leader of the coven._

"_We are the Bismarck coven. We run the Haven checkpoint here. You must be Terrence, alpha male of the Enforcement Pack." Her gaze then landed on god mom. "And Leah, alpha female. Your rep precedes you." Her yellow eyes then snapped to me. "And who might this little one be?" She took a step in my direction which resulted in Aunt Tamyra squeezing me even tighter then letting out a hiss. "Don't worry I have impeccable control though I wonder why you travel with such a young human." She smiled in a way that would be perceived as friendly though I was scared out of my wits. "What's your name child?" _

"_Leo." I answered shakily, completely ignoring my 'Stranger Danger' warning bells._

"_What's your full name?" She asked apparently not satisfied with my answer._

"_Leonard Uley." I whimpered confused as to why the pack hadn't ripped the vampires to piece yet._

"_That's a beautiful name for a beautiful child." She reached out and caressed my cheek. Aunt Tamyra let out a vicious snarl and stepped back when she touched me though the vampire seemed unaffected. "My my she seems testy doesn't she? Showing such loyalty and protectiveness for a child that does not share her blood is a rare and wonderful thing. Don't you agree Leonard?"_

"Leonard! Dude! Come back!" I looked at Stacey and Tracey as they stared at me with curious looks on their faces.

"What?" I asked lamely. Tracey rolled her eyes.

"What do you think we should do?" Stacey asked. I glanced at the other side of the room. They were unusually quiet though I assumed they were just listening to whatever we were going to come up with.

I suddenly felt defenseless. No matter what we discussed they were going to know what we would say beforehand. They would be prepared and we would end up looking like fools.

Specifically_ I_ would look like a fool.

Unless there was a way they didn't know what we were planning…

"I say we just wing it." I stated firmly. Tracey and Stacey looked at me as if I'd just grown another head. I didn't give them time to protest. "Just follow my lead." With that I turned around to face the rest of the room, mainly the Elders. "We're ready." Embry nodded.

"Who will be representing your side?" He asked respectfully. I nudged Tracey and Stacey forward as I walked closer to the front of the room. Embry turned to the other side. "And yours?" I instantly grew nervous. I suspected that they would use god mom or Quil or god forbid, Tre as the representative but I had to stop my jaw drop when Emileah, Sahara and Hunter all stood up and took their places standing across from us. I glared at Hunter simply because he was at a place that should have been mine.

Just standing there looking regal, as he was flanked by my sisters, his fellow shifters.

If only I could growl.

I settled for grinding my teeth.

"Then we can open the floor to those with complaints. These will be addressed by the three you see before you." Embry explained calmly though with an air that made me feel like I was in trial. I took a look around at everyone on both sides of the room.

"The residents of this community have some concerns with the way things are run around here. " I started and Tracey knew it was her cue to jump in.

"We know that the reservation has access to extra money based on the recent renovations and while we are grateful to the changes made to the school and some homes, we wonder about the multiple renovations made to this building and the extra buildings and houses that have sprung up in this area though they don't seem to be for sale or access to any of our residents save for a select few." Tracey ended her segment with a stern look in the pack's direction. Stacey jumped in next.

"Also we have reason to suspect that a select few residents and some non residents are given special privileges as well as large influence on the governing of our community without the general public's knowledge."

"We simply want answers on a few of these concerns." Tracey ended. I designed it so that most of the speaking wouldn't come directly from me, I would simply start off the argument, Tracey and Stacey would be smart enough to catch on to where I was going with my statement.

"What did you want to know?" Emileah asked in that lying, calm voice she always uses to make people think she's innocent. It didn't work to its full potential considering she was giving me the evil eye the whole time she was standing across from me.

"What do you guys do that involves spending time in the forest?" Tracey asked, straight to the point. She crossed her arms. Emileah relaxed her stance.

"We patrol the borders." I raised an eyebrow in shock at Emileah's straight forward answer. But then I realized that to the Rogues, this didn't sound any different from the reasoning that they protected the tribe. "We make sure the community is safe."

"Safe from what? Wolves?" Stacey added with a bit of a teasing air. I knew his choice of that animal was completely random but Emileah's and Sahara's uneasy glances in my direction told me they were seriously wondering about the depth of my openness with the group. Sahara recovered first.

"We keep the reservation safe from wild beasts that may wander and make sure there's no illegal hunting going on." I caught Emileah's half smirk.

They thought they were slick.

They were disguising the truth by ambiguous words and phrases. The arguing continued for a few more minutes. Beast, and hunters were vampires. Not animals and trigger happy men with shot guns.

"What about the school?" I asked suddenly. Tracey had just opened her mouth to make another argument but she quickly shut it and waited as I changed the direction of the arguing.

"What school?" Emileah asked as she placed her hands on her hips. The look Sahara gave to Emileah moments later told me that they were conspiring mentally.

"There's a school not sanctioned as part of the education system for the students that live on the reservation." Stacey said.

"Its classes are held in the added rooms of this building." Tracey finished. I could tell she was annoyed, not surprisingly the blunt of her wrath was either being directed at Emileah or Hunter who had yet to say anything. Emileah shifted slightly on her feet.

"You don't have any proof."

"Do you want me to go drag one of the kids out here to prove it?" I asked, even I was getting frustrated with Emileah. I heard a few gasps come from the pack's side. "Or are you just going to answer the question?"

"It's a school for the displaced minors that find their way here." She replied calmly. Emileah glanced at Hunter when she finished and it made me realize that she must have got that explanation out of Hunter's memories from the one day at lunch when Tracey had suggested it. I cringed thinking about how much Hunter knew.

"Let's be frank," Tracey snapped, "there's no way, that many kids just so happen to be making their way to some obscure reservation in Washington. Who's supplying the kids?"

"No one, they come on their own." Sahara replied quickly.

"Bull." Stacey said agreeing with Tracey's statement.

"Our location is recommended by other groups who have similar functions to ours. The minors find their way here if they prefer our location. Though," Emileah turned to the Elders as she was speaking, "I don't see what this has to do with their previous concerns." I knew I had to stop Emileah before she tried to belittle us anymore.

"The money, assuming that you have some chain of child care going on, is this where you get the money?"

"And answer carefully because from my knowledge the government doesn't look too kindly on private business that involves children as the main product."

"What are you insinuating?" Emileah asked trying to keep her cool as much Tracey was losing hers. Luckily Stacey stepped in.

"We would just like to know if there's a chance the Feds are going to show up and have our entire town incarcerated for aiding and abetting in some serial kidnapping scheme you guys-"

"Now hold on-" Sahara started. But Tracey cut her off.

"No you hold on. First off, I don't even know why you're up here, you've been here what a few months and secondly, how old are you 12? 13?"

"We're 16 thank you very much." Emileah said, her attitude slipping through. Tracey ignored her.

"Thirdly, why do we have to take a back seat to all of you guys?"

"Would you like me to apologize for protecting you, because after this reaction I will. I'm very sorry for wasting my precious time trying to save your sorry hide."

"Maybe if you told us what you were protecting us from exactly we would be more appreciative."

"We already told you." Emileah was exasperated and if I didn't know she had amazing control over her phasing I would worry over Tracey's safety.

"No, you're keeping something from us. Like there's some big secret that only you guys are in on!" It fell deathly silent after Tracey's accusation. With each passing second they were proving Tracey right.

"What gives you the idea that we're hiding something?" Emileah asked, trying to save the pack. Tracey glanced between Hunter and me.

"Hunter enlightened me to the possibility," the one in question winced at his own mention, "but it was Leonard who made me realize without a doubt that you are all keeping secrets." I would have been proud of Tracey for her putting foot down but what happened next made me panic.

Emileah flashed the most sinister smile I'd ever seen from her.

"While we're in the neighborhood of secrets, _Tracey," _Hunter closed his eyes and sighed when Emileah spoke," don't you have something to say to your boyfriend Stacey here?" Tracey looked utterly confused. Stacey matched her expression. "You know about that little thing you had with his boy Hunt here?" Tracey's eyes snapped up to Hunter's in pure horror. I knew in an instant whatever Emileah was insinuating was true but I couldn't help but hope that Tracey would deny it with every inch of her being.

"You told her?!" My head dropped. Stacey gasped as did most of the Rogues.

"And Leo, dear brother, why don't you tell how you're only doing all this because you want to act out in defiance because you're scared of the responsibility that comes with being a Tribe Elder?" All eyes turned on me. Before any of us could react Wilson stood up.

"Who you gonna believe? Tracey or that Emily girl that's just a skank herself! Just like her no good mom!" No one had ever insulted my god mother in such a fashion.

I snapped.

"You take that back Wilson!" I pointed at him as my breathing came out labored. "You won't talk about any of them like that or I swear-"

"You'll what Uley? You know it's true. They talk junk about us we talk junk about them! Of course the stuff we say about them is true! They're nothing but low down, lying dirty dogs. The whole lot of-"

I threw myself into the air intent on bashing his face in. I vaguely noticed the chaos that had erupted in the Council room. Chairs were tossed to the side as people began cheering on the fight that was about to come to blows between Wilson and I.

What can I say? It was a long time coming.

I cried out in pure aggravation when Hunter appeared at my side and pulled my hand to restrain me. He was larger than both me and Wilson so he easily stood between us to keep us separated. Emileah and Sahara and some of the other pack members were busy filing the other students out of the hall. I noticed Junior trying to get closer to the fight though Rachel quickly shooed him outside with his brothers. Then my eyes landed on god mom and Tre.

They looked furious.

That was all the distraction it took for Wilson to dodge Hunter and land a swift blow to my stomach. A few growls erupted but I don't know who they came from as all the air had left my lungs and I felt a little disoriented.

"Outside now!" Hunter yelled and pulled Wilson through the doors.

I was not about to punk out this way.

"Don't," God mom ordered appearing suddenly, standing over me just as I tried to push myself forward, "even think about it." She stood over me while everyone filed out save her pack. When I regained my composure Sahara and Emileah appeared on either side of me. "Girls, take your brother home so he can lie down." They nodded though Emileah seemed a little reluctant, she simultaneously looked smug. "We'll clean up this mess." I was leaning on either of their arms when we exited.

"That little human did a number on you." Emileah stated.

"Yeah well, I couldn't have him bad mouthing you and god mom now could I?" I replied though weakly. I could still feel the impact in my gut. As we were walking I finally broke the silence. "Why did you hurt Tracey like that? Slander her name?" Emileah rolled her eyes.

"I protect my family. That little girl meant nothing to me." I decided not to ask her anymore. It was clear that Emileah would do anything to protect her own. When we reached the house she sent Sahara to fetch something as she laid me down on the couch in the Haven house living room. "Welcome back to the family Leo."

* * *

**A/N: **So I finally saw New Moon like yesterday. Did I mention that I now love Chaske in addition to my previous love for Alex...? Heehee. Anyways sorry peeps I fell off the map for a bit. Busy weekends. I'll try to respond to reviews from like forever ago. :) Oh that really long flashback up there *points* is actually the continuation of a flashback Leo was having in chapter 5.


	19. Leonard's Ballad:19

The Rez Rogues dissolved. No one really cared about the Chosen much. If they did, they didn't voice it. Everything fell back to the way it had before. People would eventually start resenting the pack again but no one would do anything about it. All anyone could talk about was the fight that broke out between that trouble maker Wilson and that disgraceful Uley kid.

Though it wasn't much of a fight because Wilson was the only one who got a free shot in.

Now he's just the boy who cried "freakish mutant wolf", thanks to my good friend Hunter with the help of Collin, Brady, and Solomon.

At least they wouldn't let me leave that fight a complete punk.

I'd apologized to the pack and they accepted, of course, but I was punished all the same. I was being pulled from the tribal school. I was now the brand new student at the Haven school. I braved one last day at the tribal school simply to apologize to my Rogue friends.

That proved more difficult than I thought since most of them wouldn't look at me. Tracey eventually listened to my apology that I made on both my and Emileah's behalf. Though I figured she only listened since she was enduring school without Stacey at her side. That ended up being a pretty bad breakup between those two. Hunter never did tell me what happened between him and Tracey, though I could probably figure it out. He said Emileah had only found out because it appeared in his thoughts two days after he first phased.

I had expressed my worries to god mom about the treatment the quads and Jason had been receiving. I had tried to keep the kids' confidence but without me being in school with them I worried. God mom had said it would be up to Paul, Rachel, Jared and, Kim.

My first day, Junior had got into a fight at the tribal school with a sophomore…and won, Paul didn't care much about the suspension his third grader got.

My second day at the Haven school was the first day for the quads. Jason got pulled out of the tribal school a week later.

The Haven school…well it was something else.

"Mr. Collin, could you explain how to complete the square again? I'm not sure I get it." The first day, I felt like I'd stepped into the twilight zone. Collin was apparently a temporary algebra teacher for the school. I stared at the girl that had asked his assistance. As he looked over her shoulder and began explaining, I took a glance around the room. My eyes landed on the dark and cocky group.

"What you looking at normie?"

Big mistake.

"Hey pipsqueak I'm talkin to you!" The guy got up to approach me and his leather jacket along with his three lackey look alikes made me instantly think about the jaybirds from Grease. Not that I'd ever take pleasure in watching such an old movie.

"Settle down Mufasa," a few of the class mates laughed at Emileah's nickname for the lion shape shifter. "He's not causing you any problems. Lay off."

"Oh yeah, what's it to ya sweet thang?" He winked at her suggestively and I was on my feet before I could think about it. Luckily Sahara was seated on my other side ad was able to lower me back into my seat before I got in over my head.

"Mess with my brother then you mess with me." This earned her a bunch of instigating 'Oh's'. "And believe me, you won't like _that_ type of messing around."

"Yeah whatever doll. Just make sure you guard that little brother of yours cause if he steps on my toes, I can't guarantee I won't break his." The conversation was ended with laughs from both sides. It left me a little perturbed.

This wouldn't be the first time my sisters had to fight my battles.

But this would be the first time in a while that it left me so unsettled.

"Hey! Leo! Get your head in the game." A red ball smacked me right in the face. I blinked back and came face to face with Brady. "Leo, bro what's got you off in no man's land?" I contemplated just telling him I was fine but I remembered this was Brady and not Collin so he'd show me a little more compassion if the genuine look of concern on his face didn't give it away.

"Just feeling a little…inadequate today." Brady sighed, I figured I was boring him with my usual trouble. A patronizing hand landed on my shoulder though I didn't shrug it off.

"You know Leo, not everyone here is super strong. A few of these kids are pretty close to normal humans, strength wise because their shifts don't call for them to be so." He paused to point at me. "And you're pretty strong for a human. Tre always brags about how much you can bench press." I felt a little smug about that. "Why don't you do some lifting with the guys?" He nodded to other side of the open gymnasium where the lion gang was currently occupying the weights. My look gave Brady his answer. "No? Well a few of the kids like to swim. You can go do a few relays with 'em." I took Brady up on his offer.

That was mistake number two of the day.

First of all, the only kids who swam were girls. And secondly one of them nearly gave me heart attack because of her shift.

I was pretty sure I dove off the block with three other girls.

Imagine my surprise when I see an alligator smoking all of us two lanes over from mine two seconds after I hit the water.

Brady blew the whistle and physical education was finally over. I hit the showers in only a towel and was tapped on the shoulder as I stood beneath the spout. I tensed hoping whoever it was realized that I was in fact a boy and not a confused girl.

"I need to apologize, Uley." I spun around to face him. It had slipped my mind that even though there were only 12 students in our age range at the Haven school I still managed to miss Hunter all day until gym class.

Unless I was subconsciously avoiding him.

"You have nothing to apologize for Hunter." He shook his head in disagreement.

"I know now," he paused to look me in my confused eyes. "You want this and I stole it from you. Solomon he-" Hunter paused just as the last guy left us standing awkwardly in the showers. "He apologizes to me everyday, saying that it shouldn't have been me, that it's not my curse. That he wishes he could have protected me but I tell him not to worry because it was what I asked for." My eyes widened.

"But you didn't even know about the-"

"But I wanted to know what he was doing. I wanted to know about the wolves even if I didn't know what they were. Knowing about the wolves means being one, it comes with the territory." He shrugged and looked down as I frowned ready to protest his statement. He never gave me a chance. "I got my answer. You're still asking questions. And maybe I had a hand in leading you astray-"

"Stop, Hunt. The thing with the Rogues, I take responsibility for my own actions." He nodded though I don't think he really agreed with me.

"Just promise me as a friend that when you find your answer, you'll accept it no matter what." He stared at me with pleading eyes and it made me wonder what he was hiding behind his cryptic words of concern.

"Unless the answer I'm given involves me with four legs and a tail, I'm always going to ask questions. So how's life in the pack?" My change of tone surprised Hunter but he quickly recovered.

"It's… hectic." His choice of words made me realize he had been struggling with what to say. A sure sign that Embry must've issued some type of speech limiting command. I went to cross my arms in agitation then remembered I was still holding onto my tiny towel that could barely wrap around my waist. "I'm not supposed to tell you." He admitted and I rolled my eyes. "If you want to know what the pack's been up to you'll have to ask your mom." Strangely enough when he said 'mom' it was a picture of Emily that flashed in my mind. "The alphas aren't telling us much," silly of me to think of anyone besides god mom. "and what they are saying, we can't repeat outside of the pack." I looked away in frustration. Even though I was supposedly back in the family, I was still being left out of pack affairs. "Listen Uley, I gotta go, I'll see you later." He jogged out the showers quickly. It was only a few seconds later that the bell rang signaling the start of the next period and the fact that I was going to be late to Solomon's health class.


	20. Leonard's Ballad:20

"Godmom?" I called as I entered the front door to Nana Sue's old house which had become Haven house number 3.

"We're in here." She called back and I went to the living room. I was surprised to see the 'we' included Embry and Tenia who were sat on the loveseat across from god mom who sat stiffly in a recliner.

"Hello Leo." Embry said as he rose to greet me. "How was your first day at the school?" He held out a hand. I hesitated. I'd always looked up to him, I shouldn't let that one little epiphany I had at the Council meeting effect my complete perception of him.

"It was good." He let his hand fall back to his side after I ignored it. I'd lost some respect for him after that. Even if what I was doing seemed reckless and immature, I had, to some degree believed in it. He shouldn't have treated the whole thing like a joke. There was no way I'd say all these things though with god mom in the room, who was currently glaring at me for blowing Embry off.

"Well," Embry started, breaking the awkward silence, "I think we should get going." He turned and signaled Tenia who at first seemed distraught that they were leaving, "we'll finish this conversation another time." Tenia quickly complied. Godmom nodded her head slightly but kept her eyes fixed in front of her as they walked out. When the front door closed I went and took their vacated seat. I leaned forward showing god mom that I meant business.

"I demand some answers." God mom scoffed.

"I'm not sure what those kids at the tribal school have been telling you but in this house I am the adult and you respect me. You demand nothing." She was using that calm and serious yet infuriated tone. I shrunk back automatically.

"I'm sorry I just," I ran a hand through my hair, "Hunt talked to me today and he said I could only get answers from you for my questions." God mom sat back in the chair. She let out a loud exhale. I knew she was contemplating whether or not to tell me something. "You made me leave the Rogues, you took me out of tribal school and confined me to Haven and wolf pack homes. It's pretty much a sealed deal now. I wish to know what's going on with the pack."

"I know you do but," I shot up in my seat. "There are some members who feel you can't be trusted with sensitive pack information-" I jumped to a standing position, outraged at the notion.

"What?!"

"Leo, you joined and led a group that stood for the denouncing of tribal traditions. Under your leadership, said group more than tripled in size and now Embry has his work cut out for him trying to convince the parents of nearly a third of the teenage reservation population that the whole Council meeting fiasco was a misunderstanding."

"Embry's making the Rogues look like a bunch of fools."

"Which is the price they'll have to pay." God mom stood up and crossed her arms. "And it's statements like that they make me wonder if you really are back in the pack or if you're just living in the house again." I flopped back into the loveseat. God mom settled back into her chair a few seconds later. "I know you probably made some friends in that group but the fact of the matter is that the secret of the pack is much more important than the reputations of a group of teens."

"Well they won't see it that way. Emileah practically destroyed Tracey at that meeting. She's gonna have to suffer consequences of being the town skank because of a gigantic secret that she'll never know about!" I paused to take in a few steadying breaths so as to not raise my voice anymore. "You said that you would always support me no matter what I believed was right. I believed that LaPush should know about the wolves." God mom shook her head in disbelief.

"That's the thing Leonard, you didn't believe it." That stopped me in my tracks. "I saw the look in your eyes, you were struggling the whole time with what you believed. You were torn between two worlds and the more you stared into your sisters' eyes the more you were pulled back to our side." She leaned forward to me again reversing our initial positions. "I may have never been in your head but I raised you for sixteen years, I know my own child. And I know that you were struggling with whether you wanted to be a wolf or whether you wanted to be the downfall of the wolves." She hissed and I shrunk back again. "Hunter was the catalyst wasn't he? He changed, you didn't. If you couldn't have it, no one could?" Her eyes changed, they were just slightly more animalistic as had her posture in the chair.

Never before had I been this terrified of my god mom as I was in this moment.

She was staring at me like I was some enemy.

My breathing was labored as I was pinned to the back of the loveseat. "The pack's my family. I could never hurt my family like I did again." God mom eventually relaxed and pulled all the way to the back of her seat.

"Is that a promise?" She asked calmly. I nodded my head quickly without thinking. "You shouldn't make promises like that Leo. Especially when you don't know all the ways you can break them." I frowned at her cryptic response. "Your loyalties were put to an alpha vote, it was split. A tie actually."

"There are only three alphas. How can it be a tie?"

"Jacob gets a vote." I fumed. He wasn't even in the country, how did he get to vote on pack matters? "You should thank him, he along with Tre voted in your favor, to keep you here." That shocked me for multiple reasons.

One being that Jacob Black was on _my_ side.

Two being that god mom evidently was _not_.

And three being- "Is shipping me off somewhere your answer to every time I get even a little out of hand?" I was angry and she knew it.

"We've never just shipped you off-"

"You left me on the Rez when I was 11 which was only supposed to be for a few months. It turned into a full year."

"We wanted you to get used to living in normal human society."

"Are you going to use that same reasoning this time?" I asked already angry again.

"No, we were going to send you to live with the panther packs." That stopped me again. The only thing that flashed in my mind was Clarice's smiling face but I held back my expression as to not let god mom know that was more of a treat than a punishment. "But I figured it wouldn't be good for you to spend your time with a bunch of panthers especially if you ph-" She stopped herself. "Anyway, that idea was thrown out but the tie was mainly over how much pack business you should be let in on. Tre and Jake said you were just a teen, you make mistakes and we should forgive you and give you a chance to make up for it. Embry was just looking out for the well being of the pack and the Rez." Tre normally was on my side, Jacob even though it was a pleasant surprise I still didn't like the guy. Embry was expected to own up to his responsibilities in the tribe and pack. He wouldn't stick his neck out for me.

"And you?" God mom just shrugged.

"I said you needed to work your way back into my good graces. You're still in the family, you just need to prove you really are loyal to the pack, whether or not you can handle being a human in a pack of wolves and panthers. Even when you feel weak or left out or momentarily ignored, that you'll still be waving the wolf pack flag when we get back and won't get all sensitive and say your feelings are hurt just because the guys are three times as strong as you are. Right now I'm not so sure you can handle all that." It was in this moment that I was reminded why Emileah was Leah's daughter. My godmother could make me feel stripped of all my defenses, exposed and called out on my own faults.

Even if I felt she was being harsh there was no way I was going to protest.

"You're growing up Leo. Show me you can handle this like a man. Show me that you can _be_ a man amongst a bunch of wolves. Show me that you can stick to our rules."

"So that's it. I'm under house arrest. It's like a dictatorship! You can't just make me-"

"I'm not making you do anything. I'm giving you a choice. You had your chance to be in the human world, you blew it by trying to have your human friends take us down. That wasn't you trying to live a normal human life, that was you exploiting your freedom and being vengeful and jealous, now we do it my way. You can pick a side. You either join us and be part of the pack completely starting with burning those Rez Rogues shirts, denouncing all ties to that group and getting your act together by actually going to school to _study_. Or you can get out of my house." God mom had never spoken so harshly to me before. I felt like Emileah.

"_Maybe my mom is softer with you but she is hard on me 24-7." Emileah had said as she rubbed her sore butt after having gotten a lecture and a spanking for trying to cut holes in Collins underwear._

"I'm staying. I can't lose my family again. I'll prove I can be in the pack. I'll do whatever you ask." I was rushing my words. I sound panicked but I couldn't help it. It felt like real life just slapped me in the face. God mom had been going soft on me if this was how she had been keeping Emileah in line all these years.

God mom was downright terrifying when she was genuinely upset.

She placed a hand on my shoulder and I flinched. She frowned at my response. "Just don't make me have to punish you like this again." Her voice was soft and regretful. I only nodded, staring blankly at some distant spot. She pulled her hand back and left me in the living room by myself. I felt horrible.

And what made it worse was that I had to bite back a sob so she wouldn't hear it.

* * *

**A/N: **Tell me how ya feeling. I have a few more chaps written but I'm really busy. Sorry I won't be able to respond to reviews yet, only enough time to post. :)


	21. Leonard's Ballad:21

"Leo?" I looked up. It was Claire, Emileah, and Sahara. They looked down at the burning pile at my feet. Claire stepped forward to question me. "What are you burning?"

"The Rez Rogue shirts, the few that I could scrounge up. And a few posters. Plans that I had drawn up-"

"Did you go find this stuff by yourself?" Claire asked sounding a little concerned.

"No, Hunter helped me. He had a few shirts stashed at his house still." I explained and turned back to the small flame.

"Are you okay with this?" I glanced back at her quickly then turned away again.

"I'm fine." Emileah made a sound indicating she didn't believe me. Sahara scolded her though Emileah paid her no mind. She was being infuriating. "Did you want to say something?" Emileah's amused look dropped. She took two steps toward, evidently thinking I'd shrink back from her.

I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Yeah, how's it feel to finally be on the flip side of Leah's wrath?" She said it very darkly, eyes narrowed.

"Emi-" Claire started but Emileah silenced her with a hand.

"He needs to know." I need to know what?

"No he doesn't!" Sahara said and it startled the rest of us considering she never raised her voice to Emileah who was looking quite surprised as well. "Just leave him alone." She said, returning to her meek sounding voice. "He's got enough to deal with, this won't help anything." I looked between them, confused as ever. I wanted to question them but I knew no one was giving me much to work with yet.

"Speaking of, when are you guys leaving?" Claire asked and Emileah sighed in aggravation. Sahara glanced at me nervously. It took Claire a few seconds to realize she had said too much I my presence. "I mean uh-"

"Forget it, cat's out now." Emileah said I frustration. "Mom gave us a few weeks, month and a half at most."

"Yes, our parents agree that we've been docked too long." Sahara added. My eyes widened. This had been the longest amount of time that the policing pack had stayed in one place. I could only wonder what had happened in the past month in terms of the Haven attack. Everyone was remaining tight lipped around me. Emileah was studying me.

"You hear that Leo, you've only got a few weeks to prove you're loyalty or you're staying here. I suggest you get to work." With that Emileah snapped her fingers and the other two girls were following her away.

I knew now why Tre always said Emileah was an alpha born and bred.

* * *

**A/N: **This is prob the shortest chapter ever but I don't wanna start combining scenes like I did in the other three stories. Soooo randomly small chapters it is!


	22. Leonard's Ballad:22

"Leah still loves you," Uncle Seth rubbed my back in a comforting gesture. I felt so weak. I'm not even sure how I'd been reduced to a blubbering mess on the floor. Oh wait yes I did.

"_Anybody home?" I looked up as my uncle/cousin walked into the Haven home. I had nearly covered the entire kitchen counter in study materials and homework. Loose leaf paper was strewn everywhere. I hadn't realized how behind I was in my studies until god mom made the ultimatum that I catch up. How in the world she knew I was too preoccupied with the Rogues to keep up with my studies was beyond me. "Leo? Hey buddy what's up?" Uncle Seth seated himself beside me at the counter after grabbing an apple to munch on._

"_Just a lot of work to catch up on."_

"_Hmm," Uncle Seth glanced over my shoulder. "Calculus. I remember those dreaded days." I raised an eyebrow in confusion though I didn't look at him._

"_I thought god mom said you never made it past geometry." Uncle Seth paused for a moment to think. _

"_Oh yeah," He chomped loudly on the apple. "Guess you're right. Glad I'm done with that high school mess though." I barely paid attention to my uncle's ramblings. I was too stressed at the moment to care. How did a month worth of high school work equal to my being awake for the past 48 hours straight? "Hey do you wanna go to the beach?"_

"_Not now Uncle. I have to finish this up. Maybe some other time."_

"_Or maybe the mall?"he continued, ignoring my protest."Wait, where's the nearest mall?"_

"_I can't."_

"_Aww c'mon,"he whined in a very un-adult like manner. "We never hang out anymore. What happened to our Uncle-Nephew bonding time?"_

"_I dunno I-"_

"_Remember when we used to go on hiking trips. Just the two of us. I always liked that. We could go hiking around here-"_

"_Uncle I'm way too bus-"_

"_I know the trails aren't as exciting as they were at the Rockies but-"_

"_Uncle Seth!" He finally stopped talking and took in my serious expression. "I can't hang out with you right now! I have to finish my homework that I'm a month behind on, and stop talking to all my friends, and be a freaking __**perfect**__ son for god mom so that she'll let me be part of the family again before you guys leave!" _And promptly after that little outburst I attempted to rip my hair out as I slid to the kitchen floor, bringing me back to the present.

"She's just using a little tough love on you. She wants you to be successful is all. You're the only one of us who has a chance to go to college and make something of yourself." I finally turned to look up at my Uncle. "Your sisters, they won't have that chance. Sahara and Emileah are intelligent but they have duties to the tribe. To the shapeshifter world. They can't spare the time to go to college. But you Leo, you can live normally. I guess you'll have to forgive Leah." Seth chuckled which made me confused. "She may just be trying to live through you a tiny bit." Seth mashed his fingers together to emphasize the 'tiny bit'. I had relinquished my hold on my roots and leaned against the counter.

"You really think I can make something of myself if I never phase?" I stared up at him. He just smiled a beaming smile back at me that made him look even more youthful despite the fact that he was nearly middle age.

"I have a bit of a confession to make." He said as he leaned towards me and lowered his voice to just above a stage whisper. "The rest of us are kind of living through you too. Most of us never even got to finish high school. Believe it or not, we had dreams before the whole wolf thing started. Don't get me wrong, I love being who I am but I'm glad you still have a choice."

"But you said Sa-my father- said that imprinting was for production of stronger wolves, stronger protectors-"

"He also thought Leah couldn't have kids. We all did, and we can see how _true_ that was. Not to mention the dimprint. Or the fact that Tre imprinted on Leah or-"

"Okay I get it, there's still some things we don't know. But there has to be some reason I was born, besides just killing my mother and inevitably leading to my father's death."

"Leonard, you didn't kill your mother. Emily's death isn't your fault."

"You don't have to protect me. I know reality. You can say there were complications or whatever but I know the truth and so do you. I was the root of the problems. I'm just saying that I have to have some purpose."

"Maybe you'll be a different type of protector. One that will protect the tribe with your scholarly intellect, our ways, our traditions. Maybe you'll be able to connect with the human half of the tribe and actually bring us together."

"You're making that sound a lot like the role of a tribe elder." Seth shrugged innocently. "If this is all some undercover job to get me to stay and join the Council-"

"It's not. This is just me. But just list all your options. Don't turn the Council down because of what you _think_ they want from you. Think of it as an opportunity to be on your way to becoming the great protector you were always meant to be."

"You're never this eloquent Uncle Seth, who's supplying the cue cards?" Seth stared at me looking offended. Then he stood to his feet and I followed. I hadn't noticed when he finished his apple. "Thanks for the talk Uncle."

"No problem." He moved to leave then he slowed. "Oh and if by chance you have a talk with Tre and some of the things he says sounds suspiciously similar to anything I just said…I was never here." I laughed as he pretended to back out of the room sneakily.

Uncle Seth always knew how to make me feel better, even if I didn't agree completely with what he said.

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**A/N: ***opens up review pages* uhhh I forgot which I've responded to and haven't...so bear with me, I may or may not reply to a review that I've already responded to.


	23. Leonard's Ballad:23

"I think you missed a spot." I huffed at Collin's incessant annoyance. I was currently doing his job, mopping the floors in the Haven school building. I had stopped by to see if Aunt Tamyra was working late in her office when Collin spotted me and demanded I finish his job, all in the name of pack _loyalty_. "You get a little better at this and we may have found you a career." He chuckled as he rested on the bench in the hallway.

The bastard.

What was worse, was that I complied with little to no fight. My mantra for the past however many weeks I'd kept up this charade of being the perfect human-pack child had been 'Tough Love. Tough Love.' Now I just feel like a house pet that they're trying to train. Trying to break…

"What's going on out here?" Collin scurried to his feet when Aunt Tamyra showed up. "Collin, isn't it your day to mop?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. Saved by the beta!

"Leo's just helping me out." He slapped me on the back a little too hard. "You know he's really working on being loyal like Leah said. I think he's serious about being one of us." Collin had turned to look at me when he spoke, trying to hide the nervous quiver in his throat.

"Wow Collin, you're getting better at lying, maybe one of these days I'll actually take you seriously." Neither of us noticed how close my aunt had gotten until she snatched the mop out of my hands. "If you even think," she got right into Collin's face, although she was shorter than he she adjusted her posture to look menacing in a way only a feral panther could, "about taking advantage of that boy again, I will not hesitate to encourage you getting put on 72 hour patrol shifts." She thrust the mop into his hands. "Do I make myself clear?" And there's that angry mother tone.

"Yes ma'am." Collin whispered. Sometimes I wondered if he was lying about his age and really was still a teenager. I watched him walk away to the stairs no doubt to go up a floor and finish the mopping on that level. Aunt Tamyra looked back at me, her expression softening again.

"Don't let the guys do that to you okay?"I hid my flinch. She was angry with me now. "That's not what Leah meant when she said loyalty. You're not some slave child or whatever. If he or Brady or any of the other guys mess with you, you come to me, I don't care what Leah says. You're not some muscle man yet. You're still young, someone has to look out for you." And by her tone, I knew she was serious with what she said. I wasn't even sure if I could call this good cop bad cop with god mom and my aunt. It was more like bad cop, a little less bad cop. "You got me?"

"Yes Aunt Tamyra." I responded in a way similar to Collin. She ran a hand quickly through my hair.

"What were you doing here anyway?" I pulled an assignment out of my pocket.

"I came to turn this in." She nodded and took the papers from me and shoved them into her purse.

"Did you eat dinner yet?"

" I was planning on it before Collin stopped me."

"C'mon, I'm headed to the house, I'll cook you up some buffalo wings and collard greens." I smiled brightly at the thought. Have I ever mentioned how much I love the fact that Aunt Tamyra loves to cook. "Maybe some cookies too?" And bake.

"Oatmeal raisin?" I asked with an excitement similar to a kid being told they were being taken to get ice cream.

"Yes of course, with extra raisins just like you like 'em."

I'm gonna be in Heaven tonight.

Aunt Tamyra had kept good on her word. She'd been feeding me good meals and keeping the guys off my back while giving me one less stress to focus on while I caught up with school and tried to befriend the shape shifter crowd. I hadn't seen Claire in awhile, figuring that either Quil was keeping her away from me or she was busy with wedding plans. I was even starting to miss seeing the younger boys, even though they were at the Haven school, I didn't have much interaction with them.

"You need to stop babying him." I had been cleaning under my bed when I heard Tre's voice come through the vent from the first floor.

"I'm not babying him. He's dealing with a lot." Apparently he and Aunt Tamyra were arguing over something.

"We're all dealing with a lot. Leah doesn't want you to interfere."

"Of course, it's always what Leah says isn't it?" She snapped back at him. I flinched at how she spat god mom's name.

"Tams-"

"Shut it Tre. Why don't you man up once in a while and tell Leah some things. You don't agree with how she's going about this yet you just stand by and say nothing." I'd never heard an argument so heated between the two siblings. I couldn't help my curiosity as I leaned my head closer to the open vent.

"Why not? Because of the imprint? Don't use that crap with me Tre, I know how the imprint works! Seth and I can disagree, we act like normal couples! Why can't you be your own person?!"

"I am my own person! I have my own ideas separate from Leah, I just-just-"

"You feel guilty. I get it. You're scared to get on her bad side again, but don't you think it's time you moved on?"

"My feelings aren't up for discussion right now."

"Aren't up for discussion? Who are you? _Dad?"_ I could almost visualize my aunt's posture change as she narrowed her eyes in irritation.

"No, but I am your _alpha_ and I'm telling you that, that boy is _Leah's_ responsibility, so you will not go behind her back and undercut her authority."

"He's not a man." And with that one statement from my aunt I knew they were talking about me.

"He's not a child. He needs preparation for the real world. And we've done a very thorough job of sheltering him from that."

"Eaves dropping big bro?" I jumped, startled at the voice, nearly banging my head on the vent.

"Geeze Emileah, you scared the crap outta me! What are you doing here? Spying on me to see if I was doing anything _disloyal_?" She smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest, looking down on me like some underling.

"Someone has to make sure you don't go running back to the Renegades-"

"Rogues,"I corrected her, having grown tired of the running joke about my old group. "Rez Rogues."

"Whatever. Just keep it in mind that I'm watching you and spying on my father and aunt aren't getting you any bonus points." Ever since the ultimatum that god mom placed on me, I couldn't help but notice how distant Emileah and I had become. She was still treating me like an enemy but it was worse, she wasn't even this hostile when I'd first joined the Rogues. Now that I'm back with the pack she treats me as even more of a threat. Personally I thought she was overacting.

How much of a threat can a simple human be to a pack of oversized wolves?

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**A/N: **...I want an XBox 360...


	24. Leonard's Ballad:24

"Wow Leo, you're getting really strong." I managed a weak smile, focusing more on completing my last set of 25 pull ups in the Haven gym. Classes had ended about an hour and a half ago. I learned that after classes, most students went for a run in their shifts around the nearby forests. Many times Brady would offer to carry me on the run but I would always turn him down, opting to exert my own pent up energy by working out. Sahara surprisingly was keeping me company today.

"You don't have to patronize me Sare." I managed to huff out as I pulled myself over the bar three more times.

"I'm not." She tried to assure me. "When we left the south before coming back you could only do like one set of 25 now you can do 4 sets with ease." I raised an eyebrow.

"It's not that easy." I finished the set and lowered myself back onto the floor. "How'd you know my work out schedule anyway?" Sahara looked around uneasily.

"I used to spy on you sometimes." She admitted. "I was simply curious." She added as if it justified her actions. Not that it bothered me. It actually felt kind of nice for someone to notice an increase in my endurance. "I'm glad you're back home." Then my mood dampened again.

"Yeah well," I grabbed my towel to wipe the sweat off. "It sure doesn't feel like I'm back." I swung the towel over my shoulder just as Sahara frowned. "It's more like I'm the Prodigal Son but my father doesn't quite seem so happy about my return-or mother-whatever." I waved a hand dismissively. Sahara grabbed the hand.

"Stop feeling so down Leo, please." She begged. "I can't take the tension between you and Emileah. Or between you guys and your mom or between Aunt Leah and Uncle Tre." That caught my attention though Sahara paid me no mind as she continued. "Emileah says it's your fault and you say it's Auntie's and she takes it on herself then Uncle says it's not her fault then Emileah counters and says it-" Sahara immediately stopped talking. Her mouth snapped shut after she had been rambling. Apparently she was caught up with all the strained relationships. I didn't quite understand where all this blame was coming from. "Sorry Leo, I gotta go." She didn't give me time to respond, she just got up and ran out of the building. When I left the Haven school gym I decided to take a cool down walk just for some quiet time to dwell on all that had happened in the past few weeks.

And where my life was headed.

That was until I saw the last person I'd thought I'd run into.

"Tracey! Hey." I called to the girl. She was throwing bags into her car. I jogged up to her. She glanced around at our surroundings cautiously before putting on a fake smile that I could see right though. When I got closer I noticed the luggage. "Going on an early vacation?" I asked curiously. Her fake smile dropped.

"Something like that." She sound sad and I could tell she was lying. I showed her that I wasn't buying it. "Fine, I can't take it anymore. I'm sick of everyone in this little town thinking they can judge me. Ever since that stupid Council meeting, all the girls in school have jumped at the chance to bring me down." She threw her last piece of luggage in and slammed the door. "It always used to be little miss perfect Tracey, and now that your sister started that _rumor_ about me and Hunter, everyone's just ecstatic to see my record no longer clean. They won't let it die, and I'm just sick of all the nagging. The only one who even gives me the time of day is Wilson and that's only because he has no shame about being my rebound."

"Listen, Trace I'm sor-"

"Don't!" She flipped a hand up to stop me. "You apologized once already. I know you did what you had to do."

"This still doesn't explain your luggage." I motioned towards her filled back seat.

"I'm going to live with my aunt in Makah." She looked away. It only took me a few seconds to realize what she was saying.

"You're running away?" It came out too judgmental and I cringed as soon as she turned to glare at me with blazing anger.

"I'm just trying to get away from it all-"

"You're running away." I stated in mild disbelief. "Tracey you don't have to run away. You're a junior, in a few months you'll be a senior then all you have to do is graduate and go to college and forget all these silly girls that are trying to bring you down in this little town."

"Do you really think my family has the money to send me anywhere? Besides I'm not the college type."

"Trace, this isn't something worth running away from. You're a strong girl, you don't need to believe anything people say about you."

"Yeah my mother said the same thing but the thing is I'm still a girl. I'm a teenager. I'm not some strong independent woman. Women, adults confront their problems, teens run away from them."

"That's not true." I paused as Tracey went to open the driver door. "There are plenty of adults who don't face their problems and plenty of teens who know how to responsibly approach their own." I waited for Tracey to respond. She hesitated.

"Yeah well, I guess I'm not one of them." She got into her car and slammed the door shut. I watched as the small car drove slowly down the street disappearing around the corner.

I stood lingering in the driveway hoping that in the face of my own adversity I would be strong enough to not run away.

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**A/N: **Woo four chaps! Now I'm gonna reply to some reviews and eat breakfast and watch Glee then study and take finals for the next week!


	25. Leonard's Ballad:25

"I can't believe you broke the curve again!" One of the lion guys yelled in outrage at me. The class had just been handed back their most recent test and Aunt Tamyra had recognized that I'd turned in a perfect test. "That's unfair, they're like related! She's probably cheating for him." I didn't grant the guy a response.

"You know that's not true!" A girl that I learned shifted into a gazelle. She was very thin, with short red hair. She wore glasses but had this silent grace that always caught me off guard. "If anything, Ms Tamyra is harder on Leo, Emileah, and Sahara." She defended. The guys backed down not because they were intimidated, it was only because it became obvious that most of the female shifters had taken a liking to me in that protective-love-the-underdog type of way. At first, I'd been irritated with the attention but if it kept the guys off my back…

"Emileah," Aunt Tamyra re-entered the classroom after having taken a 'call.' "Your father needs you. He's near the southeast border."

"Olympia or farther out?" Emileah asked already getting up to leave.

"Olympia." She answered and Emileah was gone in a flash. It was situations like this that kept Emileah's nearly perfect grades just that, _nearly_ perfect. It was obvious that I was gaining on her position in the class and with my ignorance of pack business I was left with, in theory a less stressful life than she.

Key words: in theory.

Sure I had plenty of time to study but it didn't stop me from worrying over the others. And I just worried more because I had absolutely no clue what was going on in the pack. I figured something had to be going on otherwise the pack wouldn't be going on patrol so often. And Tre wouldn't be taking Emileah out of school so liberally.

Not to mention the fact that he only asked for Emileah and not Sahara so urgently.

Which meant that he needed Emileah for something that Sahara couldn't do. And the only difference between those two besides their personalities was Emileah's healing ability.

That meant someone was hurt.

"Aunt Tamyra," I raised my hand without thinking. "Is something wrong?" She froze. The class turned to stare at me though I kept my gaze on my aunt. I'd put her in a tough spot. Most of the shifters had some knowledge to my pseudo-alienation from the pack. I needed an answer and the only one tough enough to go against my god mom was the woman currently having a mental battle in front of me.

"Everything will be fine." I didn't let my disappointment show at the vague answer. I simply nodded my head and returned my gaze to my desk, ignoring the stares from both Sahara on my right and Hunter from somewhere behind me. The class continued. I was in no hurry to leave when it ended, leaving me the last person to exit the classroom. Just as I was about to step through the threshold into the hallway my wrist was grabbed. "There's a pack meeting tonight, three miles into the east forests. If you want answers, be there but arrive late. You don't want anyone to intercept you beforehand." Aunt Tamyra instantly released me and stepped back to her desk. I showed no indication that I heard and simply walked on to my next class.

She never saw the cold smile that crossed my lips.

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**A/N: **ummm....hmmm... I don't really have anything to say just yet...oh wait yes I do:

**memory bleeds: **thanks for the compliment and for reviewing!

also I hope I caught up review response wise with everyone! You guys are great!


	26. Leonard's Ballad:26

I was anxious and couldn't sleep. The information Aunt Tamyra had delved had me giddy all day. It was well after 11pm and I'd been careful to pretend to sleep in my shared room with the girls. I kept my breathing slow and deep for the past hour. Emileah had been sleep ever since I got back from school. Sahara was nowhere to be found until now.

"Emi. Wake up." She said in what I would describe as a whisper but must have been perceived much louder by Emileah as she woke up instantly. I could tell since she started rustling her sheets. There was a yawn then Emileah spoke.

"What about your little kitten friend, wont she come in here looking for you?"

"Leo's here. I told her to just cuddle with him if she gets scared." I wanted to roll my eyes but considering they were still closed, the action would be useless. There was no way I was going to miss the meeting because some little girl was afraid of the dark.

She'll just have to grow up for the night.

I waited 15 minutes after the girls left to make my move. I had found out-after listening in on a phone conversation Brady was having during gym class-that Collin was going to be on patrol for the meeting tonight. That gave me the idea. I knew the pack would smell me long before I got close to the meeting spot. So I snuck into Collin's room and stole his clothes. Hopefully his lingering smell on his clothes would cloak my smell long enough to get close to the meeting.

Though once I arrived it would be a done deal, maybe I'd get to hear something before I got banished. Hopefully god mom wouldn't spank me. That would be embarrassing.

I locked the doors before I left, not wanting any of the younger kids in the house to escape during the night.

Then I thought about that last thought.

It would be pretty irresponsible of me to leave the kids (shifters or no) unguarded in the house even if this was a marked 'hands off' house in the tribe. With my luck this would be the night someone got the gall to ransack it.

" 'ello?" The voice on the other end answered groggily.

"Claire, I have a favor to ask." She woke up some and agreed to come sit with the kids until I returned. She had refused until I told her where I was going and when I had her voice brightened immediately.

"Go do your thing Leo." So here I was trudging through the LaPush forests. Three miles was going to take awhile for me especially since there was a downpour earlier causing the forest floor to feel like sludge. Not to mention Collin's clothes pretty much drowned my entire body. I only hoped I didn't cross paths with Collin before I made it to the meeting.

"-more assistance here until we know who's behind this." Good, they were having the meeting in human form. "Even with our numbers, we're being spread thin by patrolling both here and in Olympia." I recognized the voice as Embry's.

"It's our job to find out who's doing this. If we stay here any longer, there will just be more attacks." Tre was the one to respond.

"_We_ could be attacked. Whoever is doing this is obviously very stealthy. We could get blindsided or have a sneak attack on the Rez." Embry argued.

"I know that but we're needed to protect more than just the Rez Embry. We have the other Havens to think about!" Tre was obviously growing tired with this argument. I took a few more steps as the voices got clearer.

"We're the Enforcement pack for a reason," that was godmom. "When we leave, we'll momentarily shut down the checkpoint that way the pack can pull out of Olympia. You'll have more than enough wolves to patrol just around LaPush." I heard Embry sigh in aggravation.

"If you shut down the Olympia checkpoint that cuts off our Haven supply route. We'll be too isolated." Quil jumped in countering.

"You'll still have contacts up north. They can reroute the Haven supplies south to here."

"You're talking Canada. That's vampire territory. The Cullen arena." Embry stated.

"What's wrong with the Cullens? They've been by our side for years now."That was Uncle Seth. "You can't still be holding onto prejudices."

"I'm a wolf of LaPush first and foremost. My job is to protect my people from vampires. I'm their chief, I can't start depending on _vampires_ to feed my _people."_

"It won't be the vampires feeding you. They'll just be bringing the products. It all comes from the same place. The Havens are supplied jointly." Tre commented.

"You're asking the impossible." Embry was obviously refusing to see reason.

"We're asking you to be sensible. This is the only compromise. You want us to stay and help guard LaPush and Olympia when our job is to catch whoever it is that is going on this reign of terror." God mom jumped in.

"This isn't a compromise. This is you ordering me what to do." Embry argued.

"She wasn't ordering you, she was telling you what your limited options were." Tre's voice rose, I could tell he was getting angry.

"This doesn't concern you Tre, I know you don't have many ties to us since you're not Quileute-"

"Excuse me?"Tre sounded offended.

"Shut up!" I froze at God mom's command. Then it happened. She started sniffing the air.

"What's Collin doing out here? He's supposed to be in Olympia until 2am." _Great_ Brady.

"That's because it's not Collin." I didn't try to move as Tre stalked towards my direction. There would be no point, he could catch me easily. He let a ghost of a smirk cross his face when he figured out it was me. "Well well, Leo don't you think you're kind of far from the house." He joked as he pulled me into view of the pack.

"Yeah, guess I got lost." I tried to joke back. My humor fell flat on the crowd, especially god mom who was simply glaring at me. I ignored it instead focusing on Emileah's shaking head. There were a few seconds of silence, everyone obviously felt uneasy with my presence, not quite sure how to proceed. I decided to break the silence. "I know I apologized a while back and you guys accepted it but it wasn't sincere. Not really. I'm sorry that some of my past actions haven't been completely thought through and I wasn't taking everyone's safety into consideration. I cough that up to youthful ignorance and maybe some jealousy but I'm not sorry for sneaking out here tonight. Nor am I sorry about worrying about the only family I've ever known. I came out here tonight because I want to know what's going on with you guys because even if it hurts to know I can't really help out, it hurts worse to have to imagine all the bad things that could be happening." No one moved. No one spoke.

I could actually hear the crickets.

"You always did have an overactive imagination." I grinned at god mom's joke. She finally softened her features. "You know you're not getting out of this scot free. You left a house full of-"

"I called Claire." Quil's head popped up at his imprint/fiance's name. "She's watching the kids."

"I knew he wasn't sleep when we left." Emileah said. I only grinned at her as Aunt Tamyra and Uncle Seth scooted over on their log to make room for me.

"Now where were we?" God mom asked. "Oh right, Embry was being a stubborn fool." The man in question immediately raised a hand in protest but Uncle Seth cut him off with an epiphany.

"The beaver triplets!" It took all of two seconds for most of the pack to figure out what he was saying. "There's a joint beaver and elk haven in Alberta, that's where the beaver triplets went years back."God mom made a sound of annoyance at their mention. Aunt Tamyra reached over to jab her.

"We can ask them to re-route some supplies here. Though, they're farther north than the vamp checkpoint in Edmonton who could get you supplies faster."

"We'll try our luck with the beavers." Embry said.

"Then it's settled," Tre started, "We're headed that direction so we'll stop by and get the re-routes worked out, close down the checkpoint in Olympia and figure out everything once we get to Alaska." My face scrunched up in confusion.

"Alaska?" I asked and everyone stopped speaking to look at me. God mom turned to me.

"Our pack is leaving the Rez, we have a job to do." She explained.

"When?"

"Two days."

Well that came as quite a shock to me.

"Am I-"

"Yes." I didn't need to finish my question since she already knew what I had been ready to ask. A grin crossed my face and she returned it. "Though your aunt's gonna be serving extra patrol time for her disobeying orders." Godmom said as she mock glared at Aunt Tamyra who just shrugged.

"Well worth it." She said and rubbed me on the back. The meeting ended after shifts were distributed and the Haven school staff started their own separate meeting to reorganize teaching since Aunt Tamyra, Collin, and Brady would no longer be able to teach. God mom approached me.

"I guess it's time we let you in the know." I didn't respond as she guided me out of the clearing and into the forest. "There's been a lot of activity these past few months. How much do you know?" She stopped walking to look at me. I shrugged.

"The last definitive thing I heard was the attack on the Olympia checkpoint and the two escorts being killed along with the new student going missing." Godmom's eyes widened.

"Then you've missed a lot." I frowned, she didn't notice. "There have been similar attacks since then."

"Here?" I asked panicky. She shook her head.

"Other Havens. Seven newly found shifters, all very young have gone missing. The scent, if there even is one, is usually vampire. But we have no clue who it is. Sometimes there is no scent."

"Doesn't that just mean, it happened before the kid even makes it to the checkpoint?"

"No. When we get to those scenes, there's definitely been an attack, the thing is there's no scent at all. Not even from the dead escorts. Whoever it is must have some type of cloaking ability." That shocked me. The wolves were pretty much blind if the attacker had no scent. A surprise attack would be easy.

I was fearful for them.

"How many attacks have there been?"

"Five, that's left nearly 10 escorts dead." I did the math. Only one kid was ever sent to a checkpoint at a time which meant that two of the seven that disappeared had done so without an attack.

"What about the other two?" God mom sighed.

"Do you have a general idea how the Haven-checkpoint system works?" She asked me. I only knew a little. "Each Haven, like ours has a checkpoint usually in a nearby city. Our main checkpoint is in Olympia. The Cullens for example in Alaska, have a checkpoint in Edmonton." I nodded knowing that much already. "The checkpoints are usually small houses or cabins in which an escort or two lives. The escorts have mainly been panther volunteers from Clarice's pack. Their job is to ship and allocate supplies through the checkpoint chain. That also includes any new shifters." This was where I looked up. I didn't have much knowledge of how the young shifters arrived at the Havens. "The panther pack usually encounters these lone shifters, or runaways. They give them the option to join a Haven. The pack escorts them to the nearest checkpoint and from there the quickest passage to the desired Haven is made via checkpoints only. An escort will leave his checkpoint with the shifter and meet the escort at the next checkpoint halfway. The kid is, for lack of a better term, handed off and continues on. This pattern continues until the checkpoint before the Haven is reached. There the escort will take the shifter toward the Haven up until the 3 Mile Walk." Godmom looked at me expectantly after explaining all that.

"What's the 3 Mile Walk?"

"Three miles before the Haven, the shifter is allowed to walk, alone for the final stretch. It was an added part to the system to allow the shifter the chance to change their minds about joining the Haven without any influence from us."

"Why would they change their minds?" It didn't make sense to me why anyone, a runaway would turn down the chance to be cared for amongst their own kind.

"These kids give up a lot when they come here. They can't contact their families anymore. The panther pack usually fakes their deaths or they become one of those thousands of missing children. Once they finish school they either stay at their respective Havens to continue work in it or they become volunteers some other way. It's a lifelong commitment they have to make in a relatively short time. That's why the Three Mile Walk is their last chance to pull out."

"That's when the last two kidnappings occurred. During the Three Mile Walk?" Godmom nodded. "Then how do you know those two just didn't pull out."

"We know because Tre and I strongly protested the implementation of the Three Mile. Those kids sometimes are really young and shouldn't be left alone for that long a distance. That's why the escorts are encouraged to travel out of detection of their senses for the Three Miles. It keeps the kids safe and still allows them influence free alone time."

"So you're lying to them about being alone?"

"No," she stopped, somewhat frustrated with my conclusion, "a few of the kids have expressed that the escorts can be intimidating so they don't want to just run away. If the escort is out of sight and smell, the kid can feel free to leave if they want. The escort won't try to stop them. But they are still there if protection is needed."

"So the kids got kidnapped-"

"After the hidden escort was killed." She finished. The discussion going on earlier now made more sense.

"How's Cla-the panther pack dealing with losing so many of their own?" I quickly corrected myself though god mom made no notice of it.

"They're coping but not too many are eager to fill in escort spots of their fallen comrades. That's why patrols have been extended to include Olympia because we don't have an escort there 24/7." We were headed back the Rez, I noted. I'd nearly fallen a few times from all the mud but god mom caught me everytime. It was a lot to take in.

I felt kind of guilty that I had been adding stress to the mix when I was with the Rogues, while they were worrying about all these attacks on the Havens.

"So we're leaving in two days," God mom nodded as we stopped at the edge of the Reservation. "Why are we going to Alaska?"

"It's a bit of a social visit." She replied in a way that told me not to ask anymore questions. She used to do that a lot to us when we would travel to different missions. The less I knew the better, she would say. "You should probably hurry home and relieve Claire." I'd started walking realizing that god mom wasn't following. "I'm going to head back, make sure Embry doesn't screw anything up when we leave." She flashed a smile and turned to head back into the forest. I stood to watch her retreating form, the slightly slumped shoulders, hands in her hoodie pocket. It was always so bizarre to see my god mother in the body of a perpetual teenager.

Someday I was going to look older than she does.

"Leo! You survived!" I hadn't realized I'd made it back to the house until Claire burst through the front doors and threw her arms around me.

"I'm glad you had such_ faith_ in me." Claire hit me.

"I was worried, that they wouldn't listen to you," she paused when I didn't reply. "They did listen to you right?" I hesitated just to make her sweat some more. Her eyes grew big and sad when I sighed.

"Yeah, they listened." I added happily and she hit me again.

"You're such a tease." She laughed with me. "Does this mean you're leaving with them?" I nodded again as we stepped into the house, lowering our voices so as to not wake up the shifter children. "I'm happy for you, I really am, I just wish…" I stopped her with a hug. I knew it caught her off guard since I wasn't much of a touchy feely person. Another trait Emileah and I shared.

"I'll miss you too Claire." She pat my back after a few moments. I was really going to miss her. I was going to miss everyone on the Rez. Well maybe not Wilson, but it was a lot more people than the other times I'd left.

* * *

**A/N: **woohoo long chapter!I hate short chapters...really I do, writing reading whatever....but I' trying to stick to one scene/environment per chap...who know how long that'll last. Anyway, the update, Leo's back in the know withe the pack, Leah-Tre's pack is leaving, destination Alaska then some other stuff's gonna happen. Also if the information about the checkpoints and havens and escorts is confusing...think of it like this: it's like the Underground Railroad type thing but for shape shifters. And if that didn't clear it up then just leave the question in your review *hint hint*


	27. Leonard's Ballad:27

The next day I spent packing and saying my goodbyes. No one knew when we would be back. The current plan was to be back for Claire and Quil's wedding but that wasn't for another few months. I had stopped by Kim and Jared's house in the morning.

"_I'm so glad you're back with Leah and the others." Kim said while she gave me a motherly hug. "I made you some food. It's kind of a care package for when you're in Alaska." I accepted the box gratefully. Jared came in next and gave me a pat on the back while he held onto his youngest daughter. Jason followed him in. _

"_Hey kiddo!" Jason smiled then and came to give me a high five. "While I'm gone you have to email me all the things that happen at the Haven School alright?" Jason nodded though I could tell he was a little sad about my leaving. It was almost as endearing as when the quads all pounced on me at the door to their house. I'm embarrassed to say that one of Junior's punches was probably going to leave a bruise._

"_Paul and I threw some things together for you." Rachel handed me her package just as Paul came to stand by her side. _

"_Open it." I did as was told and was met with various articles of clothing. There was a smaller package underneath._

"_Air freshener?"_

"_Those leeches reek to high Heaven."Paul said following it with a hearty laugh. I rolled my eyes not bothering to remind him that I wasn't a wolf and couldn't smell them anyway. I'd tried calling a few of my friends from the Rogues but none of them answered. I had anticipated as much, though I left them voicemails anyway indicating my inevitable departure. We'd had a big dinner that Nana Sue cooked. The council and most of the pack showed up. That only left one last person to say good bye to._

"Uley!" I looked up as I dropped my bag in Nana Sue's car.

"Hey Hunter!" I called as he waved and jogged up the drive to meet me. Based on his dress I could tell that he was just coming from patrol. "Lookin good." I teased. His body had finally slowed with the changes. He had settled on looking like a 20 year old even though he was only 15.

"Yeah well, I just wanted to see you off." He gave me a one handed man hug. "It's not gonna be the same without you around."

"Yeah, same here." I commented. I felt my mood drop a little as I realized how much harder this was going to be than all the other times we'd left. Hunter was a good friend, no matter how rocky our relationship started. Now I had to leave him behind. I don't know how the rest of the pack does it every time. "You got my email right?" Hunter nodded and looked down at his feet.

"When you pass through again, we'll have to try out my new physique and hit up a couple of college parties." He said and laughed. I joined him.

"You bet."

"Ready to go?" I looked up at Papa Charlie. He was going to drive the pack as far north as the Canadian border. From there the pack would move on foot. Vehicles had never been a big part of our small pack. They preferred to run in form. Of course that usually left me walking bipedal or riding on someone's back. I nodded to Papa Charlie. Nana Sue came out the house with the rest of our pack, hugging everyone tightly. After she hugged god mom and Seth for a long time she caught sight of me from the door.

"Now where do you think you're going honey," she wagged a finger at me as she approached, "think you're just gonna leave without saying bye to your Nana? Don't you forget I changed your diapers once upon a time."

"Everyone changed his diapers." Collin remarked and was promptly glared at by Nana. She finally reached me and grabbed hold tight.

"You stay safe and make Nana proud. And don't listen to Emileah when she tells you to throw Esme's meals in the trash. She's a really good cook and a nice woman so you respect the Cullens." She kissed me on the cheek when I reluctantly agreed. When I broke away, Emileah was still grinning to herself from Nana's comment. We all piled into the van that once upon a time belonged to Tenia. Papa Charlie insisted on driving the entire time, saying he didn't trust any of us to obey the speed limits. Everyone just laughed. I grabbed the bags out the back when we hit the border. It was a good thing I'd put on some muscle considering I had to systematically attach nearly ten bags to my person. I could tell which one belonged to Sahara, that girl could never pack light.

"You all be careful." Was all Papa Charlie said before pulling off. The talking quieted as everyone took off into nearby woods to shift into their forms. Brady's wolf form came and lowered itself beside me. I climbed on with a little difficulty then stared into the night as we crossed into the Canada.

* * *

**A/N: **woo! multi chap update! I'll reply to reviews after I put these up! Also sidenote Avatar in 3d was pretty good!


	28. Leonard's Ballad:28

"Yeah, we'll be there some time tomorrow." God mom said into the cell phone. "Just tell pixie to calm down. No, we're not stopping to do_ inappropriate_ things." God mom paused. "Jake, you're so sick. Remind me to kick your butt when we get there." I could hear loud laughter coming from the phone. The rest of the pack had run into the surrounding forest to hunt for food. God mom took the time to check in with the Cullen coven, I was snacking on stuff packed for me by Kim and Rachel. "Yeah just make sure everything's ready when we get there." Godmom spared a glance at me before she continued. "The pack's gonna be tired so I expect superb hospitality." God mom paused and I saw a smile cross her features. "Tell Emmett to shut up!" She said playfully. "No I don't want _that_ kind of hospitality." She smiled for a few more silent moments when she suddenly sobered up and lowered her voice. "We'll talk about it when I get there."Tre emerged first though he didn't come very close, he stood observing probably listening for the others to make sure they were still accounted for." Yeah. I gotta go bye." The quick hang up left me suspicious though I pretended it didn't. God mom came to sit by me. I offered her a nutra-grain bar which she accepted.

Uncle Seth said she still had an aversion to eating raw.

God mom had retorted with why they couldn't stop at a McDonald's every once in a while.

"Did you eat enough Leo?" Godmom said as she massaged my head with a hand. I only mumbled a reply, too relaxed by the soothing motions. I let my eyes slip close for only a few seconds, which was long enough for Emileah to freak me out by suddenly appearing directly in front of me when I opened them again.

"We should cut these breaks shorter." Tre said just as everyone regrouped from having hunted. "I don't like us being split up and vulnerable this far north."

"Relax, Tre." Uncle Seth said as he moved to Aunt Tamyra's side. "We run these parts."

"I know but with the attacks, I don't want to take any chances." Tre explained. Godmom stopped rubbing my head and stood up. I groaned.

"He's right. We need to stay close to each other especially since we don't know who's out there going on a killing and kidnapping spree." The two alphas were in agreement so everyone else just had to fall in line. We continued on the trek. Apparently it was decidedly more dangerous in this part of the trip since I was now riding on Uncle Seth's back. Godmom always coordinated who would carry me based on how much safety she thought I needed. I very rarely was carried by the alphas considering they both needed to be able to phase back and forth at a moment's notice. Uncle Seth was the strongest wolf. I worried that maybe an attack had happened close to where we were now that I was under his protection.

A howl woke me. My eyes had to adjust to the fact that it was pitch black outside. Uncle Seth was walking at a slow trot. I could see godmom's grey form and Tre's eyes when he turned up ahead. Emileah increased her pace to join her mother. Their sizes and color were nearly identical although I noticed that Emileah's coat was longer and slightly unkempt. A few seconds later a large reddish figure broke through the foreign trees and I immediately recognized Jacob's wolf form.

I was in a good enough mood to hold back my groan.

The three alphas phased to human form. I watched as Jacob greeted godmom and Tre. I could feel Uncle Seth panting in excitement. I looked down and saw his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth. Either he really misses Jacob or he wants to eat him.

Not that I would protest the latter.

"Woah, Emileah, you're in need of a haircut." Jacob said as he patted Emileah on the head. She snapped at his hand and he laughed, completely oblivious to the fact that she probably would have bitten his hand off if he had slower reflexes. "Sahara," He grabbed her relatively smaller head in his hands. "How's my girl." She purred. I heard a growl from behind me figuring it was Brady. "Myra, Brades, Cols," he ran a hand through each of their coats. He stopped in front of Uncle Seth and I. "Leo how's the weather up there?"

"Freaking cold." I grumbled having realized that the only thing keeping me warm had been Uncle Seth's fur. He lowered me to the ground, only for me to freeze even more. The bags knocked me off balance and I fell on my butt. Collin and Brady walked by me already back in human form and high fived each other as if they had planned my fall.

Idiots.

A hand suddenly jutted out in front of me. "Atta boy." It was Jacob's hand pulling me up. He turned his huge body to face the circle of shifters. "Everyone's up at the house. You guys can head on up." At that, the girls immediately retrieved their bags from my pile. The guys on the other hand decided I could carry theirs.

"Here let me take some of those." Tre said as he came to join my side. I handed him his and Seth's. The trees eventually gave way to lightly snow covered property. The house was huge. Much bigger than the old Cullen house, that I'd had the misfortune of seeing in my younger years.

Younger years? What am I fifty?

Sahara was already pulling Emileah up the walk. "Hey girls don't go in yet!" Jacob called from behind me and Tre as he walked with Seth. Sahara pouted as she stood by the door waiting for permission to enter. When we all made it up the walk Jacob moved to the door. "Okay, we're all here. I just want to say I'm so happy to see you guys again."

"Yeah yeah, enough with the mushy stuff Black!" Godmom jokingly complained. "Let us in already!" I saw Sahara nod furiously in agreement. I was already starting to shiver, even with the close proximity to the abnormally warm ones around me.

"Okay okay," Jacob raised his hands innocently then pushed the door open. The lights suddenly came on and I jumped, partially startled and partially cold.

"Happy Belated 16th Birthday kids!" Nearly fifty voices yelled at me.

You've got to be kidding me.


	29. Leonard's Ballad:29

Why the pack thought that a surprise birthday party for us-yes us as in myself included considering I was almost 17 now- with the vampires and Jacob Black would be something that I would enjoy astounds me.

At least Sahara was having a ball. She was attached to Renesmee's hip, greeting all the supposed vampires that had been present at the Volturi to do.

Don't get me started on why all these vampires I'd never met were here to supposedly celebrate late birthdays for two shape shifters and a human. Emileah and I were currently staking our claim of the couch in the corner. It was a no fly zone considering Emileah's smell, off putting disposition, and amounts of aggression she was putting out towards any vampire who got anywhere near our area.

"Hello, my name is Nina. I'm Nahuel's sister." Accept oblivious half leeches. Her accent was thick and each word sound as if it came out as separate sentences. I hadn't noticed her outstretched hand until Emileah fake coughed.

"Oh, sorry." I reached for her hand. "I'm Leonard. This is Emileah. We're Sahara's cousins." Her eyes lit up when I mentioned Sahara.

"Sahara is such a lovely friend to my Nessie." I internally question her possessiveness. "She's so happy and joyful. It is your birthday as well?" I thought the question was for Emileah but Nina kept her eyes solely on me.

It was a little uncomfortable.

"No, not really, mine's isn't for another few months and theirs was a few months back."

"Theirs?" She questioned. I motioned to Emileah.

"Hers and Sahara's." Nina turned to look at Emileah then and responded as if it were the first time she'd seen her.

"You look so much like my Sahara. You two could be twins!" I sighed. The girl was a little wacky. The conversation became more and more confusing as she seemed to forget minor details or screw up the connections between people. I was sure, though hopefully it was just my weaker ears, that I'd heard her call me _her_ Lenny a few times.

Lenny. I officially hate that name.

"Excuse my sister." Nahuel finally showed up. "She has had too much alcohol and she tends to run off at the mouth." Nahuel's accent was noticeably lighter than his sisters. I watched as he towed her off to the bathroom. A few other vampires looked on with sympathetic eyes.

What did they expect? It was open bar night for the half vamps and non minority shape shifters.

Still not quite sure what a thing like that was doing at a birthday party for three 16 year olds but I'm not complaining.

I just had to make sure to stay clear of Collin when he goes on his angry drunken rampage.

I noticed that God mom and Tre were staying clear of the bar. It was expected of Tre, as he had a habit of being the perpetual designated driver in not touching alcohol but I'd known god mom to drink a little. I briefly wondered why she wasn't now. Then I noticed that Uncle Seth, Jacob, and Edward were gathered around each other laughing hysterically.

That was probably attributed the fact that Uncle Seth was a goofy drunk. I watched as the two wolves continually knocked back shots to keep their senses dulled. I was brought back to the couch when Emileah groaned under her breath. We were in identical slouched positions.

"How long do you think we'll be here?" Emileah asked me after not having spoken since we entered the house almost four hours earlier.

"Hopefully not as long as we were in LaPush." Emileah rolled her eyes though she didn't respond again.

"Here," A pair of keys was flung into the air and Emileah caught them easily. I looked over to see Rosalie standing halfway across the room. "There's a new cycle in the second garage."

"Thanks Aunt Rose." Emileah was up in a flash. I'd almost forgotten that there was one vampire that Emileah could actually stand. She bounded out the house without a second glance in my direction. I frowned, feeling more than just a little dejection.

Rosalie shrugged while flashing me a sympathetic look before turning back to her group of vampire buddies. My radio buzzed. Tre had given me one on the trip up. It worked like a walkie talkie but also had texting capabilities similar to a cell phone.

I just thought of it as a cell that could only call the rest of the pack.

_You comin or what? –ERCF_

I smiled at the radio text and jumped up following Emileah's same path out the door just as she revved the motorcycle's engine in the driveway.


	30. Leonard's Ballad:30

"Who in the world plans a week long birthday party?" Emileah complained as she lay on my bed in my guest room. Everyone was getting ready for what Alice Cullen deemed the closing reception for our birthday extravaganza. The females were all dressed in identical short dresses that had a very light and airy material. The colors were different for each dress though. Everyone was currently getting ready. Emileah had thrown her dress on, pulled her hair out of its ponytail letting her waves and curls fall naturally. She really was a sight even if it had only taken her five minutes to get ready.

I already knew that we-as in Tre, Uncle Seth, Collin and I- would have to keep all the single vamps eyes off of her.

I on the other hand was dressed in black slacks and a green dress shirt. The guys also were wearing different color shirts, which leads to why Emileah was currently moping in my room.

Alice thought she was being sneaky by coordinating colors between guys shirts and girls dresses. Emileah had already seen Collin. His cream shirt matched her cream dress.

"This is the closing ceremony, which means it should be over after this." I said while I attempted to adjust my black tie. I kept failing so much that Emileah grumbled and stood in front of me.

"Here, let me do it." She swiftly fixed it and with one final tug I was sharply dressed.

"Who taught you how to tie?" She flinched and I frowned in response.

"Collin did." She went to go lie on the bed again while I processed the information. I looked at her in confusion until she finally caught me. "Do you remember leopard guy?" I nodded only vaguely remembering one of Emileah's ex's. "He came to take me on a date when we were in the south. His tie was wrong so I asked Collin to show me how to tie it." She finished and I frowned even more.

"You're so wrong Emileah." Even if I couldn't stand Collin half the time, I didn't see why Emileah felt the need to be cruel and rub her non-acceptance of him in his face over and over again.

"Are you ready guys?" Sahara popped her head into the room. I immediately knew Alice had gotten a hold of her considering her hair was done up and she was wearing makeup. "Emi I was looking for you, Alice gave all us girls French tips." She flashed her fingernails. Emileah only grumbled a response. It didn't dampen Sahara's mood. She turned to me then. "You look handsome Leo." She said sincerely.

"Thanks, you look cute too. Brady better not lose sight of you." I commented and Sahara giggled.

"He won't have to worry." She adjusted a strand of her hair in the mirror I had been using. "Are you guys excited? I'm so sad that this is the last event-"

"Bummer." Emileah said with no enthusiasm at all.

"-But all good things must come to an end." Sahara concluded not the least bit deterred by Emileah's sarcasm. I joined Emileah on the bed leaving Sahara staring down at us. "You guys aren't having fun are you?" She asked and I almost felt bad by the dejected look she had on her face right then.

"This just isn't our…cup of tea." I explained cautiously.

"This isn't my cup of anything!" Emileah grumbled some more, not noticing Sahara's flinch at her harsh words.

"Don't worry about us Sare. As long as you're having a good time, don't let us drag you down." She smiled a little at that but I could tell by her expectant look at Emileah that she was waiting for her to say something as well. I nudged her to give her the heads up.

"Yeah, yeah don't let us get in the way." She lazily waved Sahara off, who satisfied, bounded out of the room." We joined her later in the basement of the house. The basement was huge. It had been decked out to resemble a reception hall. There were nearly fifty beings comfortably walking around. Food was served to all the shifters and halfies. I could only suspect that blood was what was being held in the goblets being passed around. The match making duties of Alice Cullen didn't play off so well though I was curious as to who matched my green.

"Hello." I turned around and came face to face with a stunning blond vampire. "You must be Leonard Uley." I quickly swallowed the cheese cube I'd just placed in my mouth.

"Yes I am." I wiped the non-existent dirt off my hands and held one out for her to shake. She did.

"I'm Tanya. It would appear our friend Alice has decided we would be dates for the evening." And that was when I noticed she was wearing the green dress that matched my shirt.

"It would appear so." I said lamely. I wasn't normally so cordial to vampires but this lady vamp caught me off guard. I took her offered arm as she led us to the dance floor. Most had gathered there, dancing and swaying gracefully to the music playing throughout the house. As soon as we reached the throng, I felt eyes on me. I knew the pack was probably wearily eyeing my dancing partner.

I was after all still human amongst a bunch of vampires.

I found myself hoping that Tanya wouldn't take offense to the fact that nearly our entre pack had repositioned themselves on the dance floor to practically encircle us.

It got ridiculous when I ended up bumping into Uncle Seth three times. I fumed. Tanya laughed.

"Perhaps I should explain that I've been weaned from human blood for longer than Carlisle." She said to me though I knew it was directed towards my over protective guardians. None of them responded, though they did give us more space. "You have a lovely family."

"Tell me about it." I said causing Tanya to laugh once again. I smiled despite myself. Emileah was probably gagging at the sight.

"It's so refreshing to actually be talking to someone who appears to be a teenager and actually is one. You're so amusing and lively." Tanya added a bounce to her last few words.

Great, I was a novelty.

There were three tings on a glass. The music stopped. Everyone turned to see who was about to make an announcement.

"Hello everyone! We're so glad you could make it out and celebrate the lives of three very important young people. Sahara, Emileah, and Leonard are all such wonderful kids and we are just glad that they will be the future of our world. This will be the last of the birthday festivities but first Jake would like to say a few words." Alice stepped off the stairs she was standing on. Jacob walked near the stairs, though he didn't go up considering his height, he was easily seen by everyone. Renesmee stood right by his side beaming.

"Thank you all for coming. And happy birthday to the kids. You guys rock!" Emmett and Jasper let out a few whoops and I laughed at that. Everyone had spread out to listen to the speech. "I just felt this was the right time. Ness and I have an announcement. As many of you know, we've been trying to get pregnant for a few years and unfortunately we've run into complications along the way. An opportunity presented itself in the form of an angel and we jumped on it. My good friend and one of my closest confidantes has volunteered to carry Ness and my child."

My head snapped to Sahara. She was smiling with tears in her eyes already. It would be just like her to offer to be the surrogate mother to her best friend Ness-

"Leah, we can never love and thank you enough for agreeing to be the surrogate mother to or child. She just informed us that she's been able to conceive."

Well that was unexpected.

The vampires erupted into applause and cheers. Godmom had an uneasy smile plastered on her face. The people surrounding her had varying degrees of shock.

Tre's furious expression shocked me most of all.

"Are you kidding me?!" Everyone turned at the enraged voice. "I'm-I'm-I can't believe this." It was Collin.

And he was drunk.

"You bloody leeches and your lovers get everything-and I mean everything you want." He stumbled carrying a bottle with him. Brady was currently trying to dissuade his friend from acting out but Collin wasn't listening.

"Collin maybe you shouldn't-" Collin shoved Brady away as he continued to stumble forward.

"I mean what about us? The shifters! Why can't we have happy stories? Why can't- why do we have to suffer?" He was yelling now, his bottle clattered loudly onto the floor though he didn't seem to notice. "You know what? I'm done! I'm sick and tired of being a doormat, an extra in my own screwed up life. Why do I have to sit and pine over a teenage brat?!"

"Collin!" I heard Aunt Tamyra scold sharply.

"And why does-"

"Someone stop him-"Edward called suddenly.

"-Tre have to be tied to Leah's leg just because she can't get over the fact he forced himself on her-" Collin was tackled by a few vampires and Brady. Though that wasn't why time stopped and the room suddenly heated up about 50 degrees.

Tre _forced _Leah?

Tre forced _himself_ on Leah?

Tre _raped _my godmother?

I stumbled backwards. There was actual physical pain with his words but I couldn't focus on that. This couldn't be real. The only man I'd ever considered a father was nothing more than a mons-

Three agonizing howls broke out in the room. It took me a second to realize one of them was coming from me.

* * *

**A/N: **and before anyone asks... the answer is yes. :) hey does this mean I have to change the rating of this story now?


	31. Leonard's Ballad:31

The smell burned my nose.

The noises were too loud. I could hear everything.

The fast heartbeats. The even faster ones. I could hear the emptiness where there should have been beats.

I huffed though it came out of my nose.

I was too charged. Ready to strike like a bull that's been in the cage too long.

"Leo you need to calm down." I couldn't. The voice was eerily familiar though I could pick out its imperfections. I backed away unsteadily. I can't get control of this four legged thing. "Leo, just stay still okay." I finally looked and saw Aunt Tamyra holding her hands up trying to keep me calm. Her eyes drifted back across the room frantically.

I followed her line of sight. The pack was trying to get another wolf and a panther under control. It was Emileah and Sahara.

But Emileah didn't have a light brown coat…

I gasped though it came out as a choked growl, drawing my aunts eyes back to me. Sahara had phased, or _re-phased_ into a wolf and Emileah had turned into a panther.

I watched in morbid fascination as Emileah continually snapped at her father and Collin. She kept trying to wiggle free of Uncle Seth, Emmett, and Jasper's grip. Edward and Brady were trying to drag the inebriated Collin away. The other vampires were busy watching me warily.

"Leonard." I snapped to the right. My god mother was standing stock still next to me. How had I not noticed her before? "Leonard you need to phase back so we can explain."

Explain? What's there to explain? How I turned into a wolf because I found out Tre is piece of trash?

"They won't phase back unless they see someone else calm. You are the most in control. Please." I lowered my head not quite sure what to do.

"He's confused." Jasper gasped as he continued to hold both Emileah and Sahara back. "Don't think he knows how." The fact that Jasper was straining meant that the girls were livid. I didn't blame them.

"Just try and feel human again. Calm yourself."

She's kidding right? I'm so hyped up right now, and not in the good way, I can't think about getting calm. I can't do a thing with all this aggression. Godmom phased and I instantly noticed how much smaller she was compared to me.

Then I noticed that I couldn't hear her in my thoughts.

I panicked. Godmom was quicker though. She pounced and had me on the ground before I could go on a rampage. She had her jaws around my neck lightly as she pushed me to the floor. I lay flat on my stomach obediently. There was more talking but I couldn't focus.

"Jake you try."I growled at Bella's voice. Just as sudden Jacob phased and towered over me in his wolf form.

_Leo? _I cringed. Of course. He could hear me which meant I was in _his_ pack.

Before I could stop myself, every vile thought I'd ever had about the no good runaway son from LaPush flooded both our minds. Jacob growled at me though he was still in shock.

Guess the guy had never met anyone who hated him as badly as I did.

_Leo! _I winced at the almost command. _I'll pretend I didn't hear anything prior but right now what's important is that you phase back to human. _He began flooding my mind with his own memories of first phasing and how he initially thought to phase back. I was still on my stomach though godmom had long since released me to go help in the other fray. Suddenly I was smaller but still on my stomach in a fetal position.

And I was butt naked.

I wasn't sure how to handle the admiring looks I was getting from nearby female vampires.

"I knew there was another reason I liked teenagers." I heard Tanya remark as Esme quickly threw a blanket over my shoulders shielding me. Alice appeared moments later with pants for me. Sahara was finally back in human form though she looked shaken. Emileah had to be kept separate from her father who was frantically whispering something to godmom.

I could barely focus but when I did, I was thoroughly shocked.

At first I'd thought that my initial count of guests had been off but it wasn't. It felt like the number of people had doubled in a matter of seconds. These extra bodies weren't actually extra. Ghost like apparitions stood behind every person in the room. It didn't take me long to figure that the person with whom each shared the strongest bond stood behind them. Jacob had both a Renesmee on his arm and a silent ghost of her behind him. I saw the same with Bella and Edward, Carlisle and Esme, I even saw a young man standing behind Tanya though by his clothes I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't born yet.

The pack was the same. The imprints and imprinters. Even Emileah had a Collin floating around her. I frowned when I saw the ghost of Tre staring into the back of godmom's head. I was finally able to sort through what I was seeing until one of them moved.

A girl started walking, gliding more like it. I knew instantly that she was an apparition but she was attached to no one. I followed her with my eyes. Her long flowing hair. Her lightly tanned skin. Those eyes…

She looked straight at me as she made her way between me and godmom. Then she smiled.

I knew that smile.

And it all made sense. I hissed though godmom didn't know that it wasn't towards her. The apparition would be my destruction I was certain.

That girl was going to be my_ imprint_.

There's just one problem.

I absolutely refuse, with every inch of my being, to _imprint_ on Jacob Black's daughter. I will not be like him. Bound to leeches for eternity.

"Leo." I don't know who said it. I didn't care. I had to get out of there. The apparitions disappeared. I bolted, relishing in my new found speed as I flew through the cold Alaskan air, though it didn't last since I heard someone gaining on me before I could even get a few miles out from the house.

"Leo, stop!" It was Emileah. I ignored her but she was faster than me and tackled me to the ground. "What is the matter with you?" She rolled me onto my back then pinned me again.

"I don't want to imprint on her!" I blurted. Emileah looked confused but didn't loosen her grip.

"On who?"

"Jacob's daughter." She finally released me and sat up on her knees. It was the first time in my life that I'd ever left Emileah speechless. "I saw her. She had his smile, Renesmee's eyes and hair, the mix of their skin tone," I stopped realizing my tone had changed from one of disgust to admiring. I couldn't succumb. "I'm gonna imprint on that freaky baby that god mom's carrying." That reminder sobered Emileah up quick. "I'm not doing it." I got up, Emileah followed suit.

"So you're just gonna run away?" The tone was biting. I had a mild sense of déjà vu in that moment but I ignored it. "You wait all this time to turn into a wolf. Badger us about it for years and when you finally get what you want, you run?" I was already backing away from her. I probably should be more sensitive to the information she had just found out about her parents but I wasn't. I couldn't stay.

I _couldn't_.

"You can't fight it." She said and stopped her pacing simultaneously. I knew she was talking about the imprint.

"You did." I challenged. She hesitated.

"You're not me."

"Give me a break, Emileah." I wave her away as I turned my back on the proud figure. She doesn't respond again which isn't like her. I turn to face her again and am shocked to see a look of defeat on her face.

Then it hits me.

"Emileah," I latch onto both her shoulders forcing her to look at me. "You hate Collin… _don't_ you?" Her nostrils flare and she blinks then looks back down to the ground. That was all the answer I was getting and more than I wanted.

I can't take this. It's too much.

I drop her shoulders and back away. Lies upon lies upon lies. It made me want to pull my hair out. I can't live with a pack if I can't trust anyone anymore.

"I've gotta go." I turn quickly and run farther into the forest.

"Run away then! Like you always do, you coward!" I ignored Emileah's harsh words, thinking back on Hunter's words about questions and answers.

I'd finally got my answer.

But this wasn't what I wanted.

* * *

**A/N: **There you have it friends! That's the end of the ballad. No it's not the end of the story, just this first part. Now we can get onto the exciting stuff :) And the stuff about the ghosts, it's like Marcus's power where he can see bonds between people, Leo can actually see ghost like apparitions of people who have strong bonds. Wierd no? Anyway here's your present for the holidays...5 chaps!


	32. Seth's Verse

"So you'll be one of my best men right?" Quil and I had just finished patrol. "Because Collin really wants to be promoted to groomsman number one."

"Of course dude." I was smiling wide, happy that Quil and Claire's wedding was finally happening and ecstatic that Quil had asked me to be his best man. Well one of his best men. Embry and Jake were also best men. That was acceptable though, considering Claire had about 3 matrons and 5 maids of honor Not including her 9 bridesmaids. "Just hope the tux doesn't cost too much."

"Why? In case you phase out of anger?"

"Yeah, you never know, I might discover that I've harbored feelings for Claire and watching her marry you at the wedding would send me over the edge." I expected Quil to hit me but he just laughed.

"Yeah that would really suck." He paused to throw some shorts on over his phasing pants. "Because I would have to fight you for her and rip my tux as well. And mine's is going to be twice as expensive." We joked all the way back to the Rez. I walked into the haven house sensing that Tamyra was inside.

"Hey babe!" She didn't respond immediately. She was standing in the kitchen looking out the window. Her back was to me. "What's that?" I asked pointing to the nearly crinkled paper in her hand. She didn't say anything, her demeanor giving away that the paper had made her distraught and I instantly wanted to tear the paper to shreds. "Let me see." She handed it over.

_Terrance and Tamyra,_

_There's no need for me sugar coat this. It's your father, he's ill. Very ill and I'm certain that he has little time left. He has kept me in the dark about your whereabouts but he asked me to write this letter and as per the deal, whatever that may be, he says that it's time for you kids to keep up your end of the bargain. Your father's work needs to be handled. It would be strongly advised that you return home and take care of business, I mean that in both senses._

_LeAnn Foster_

"Who's LeAnn?"

"My cousin." Tamyra finally turned to face me. "The only relative that my dad would trust to be the third party in his communication with us." She leaned forward and rested her head on my shoulder. I rubbed her back as I realized I knew near to nothing about my wife's family after nearly 14 years of marriage.

"What about your mother?" She let out a dry laugh.

"He doesn't trust that woman to do anything." We fell into silence. I frowned. It was evident that my in laws were expecting the Foster siblings to return home. But with Tre recently gone on a mission, that left me as momentary Alpha male over the pack.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I have to go. If my dad's dying he's expecting one of us if not both to return home and take over. There's no way he'll sell or entrust it to anyone else. He'll probably want Tre to come back more so but with him gone it'll have to be me."

"What if we just waited until Tre returned?"

"We don't know how long he'll be gone on this mission. He didn't even know. Even if it's a few weeks, it's obvious that dad must be in really bad shape if he's contacting us now, and having LeAnn do it." She exhaled heavily. I re-read the letter as if it would give me answers.

"I'll go and see if I can partner with someone…or something." She ran a hand through her hair. I noticed that she and her brother did it when they were especially stressed and trying to hide it. "Do you think you'll be okay handling the pack by yourself?"

"What?" It wasn't that I hadn't heard, it was that I couldn't believe what she was saying. "What do you mean by myself? I'm coming with you."

"I didn't think you'd want to leave your sister and the pack-" I cut her off with a finger to her lips.

"I'm coming with you. I'm not letting you go cross country by yourself to handle sharks, family members or no." She didn't argue the point anymore although she almost did again when Sahara put up a fuss. Our daughter decided that she would stay with the rest of the pack on the Rez although she would travel out to Ohio with us and stay for a few weeks. She seemed to be quite excited to finally meet some more of her family members on her mother's side. I on the other hand was nervous, considering it would be the first time meeting my in laws who probably didn't even know they were my in laws.

The entire flight I spent rehashing events that had happened in the past weeks.

Leonard had finally got what he wanted. He had phased. Though it wasn't in the best way he finally come into his birthright. I'd always known he would change, we all did. When he left us to join the Rez Rogues, everyone had felt incomplete.

Some even said it felt similar to when Sam had died.

The pack had lost one of its own, but the alphas had ordered we weren't to say anything to him about it. He had been changing for weeks. He would put on muscle so easily and he'd grown an inch a year since he'd turned 13. He didn't notice but we did. He was a wolf, always had been. He had just been blinded by his own low self esteem. When he changed, his wolf form had been regal, commanding. He was huge for his age.

For a moment I thought Sam had been resurrected in a more glorified form.

Then Emileah had phased…or re-phased, out of anger as did Sahara out of complete horror. Collin had done what we never had. Told the kids about Tre raping Leah. They had all looked up to Tre, and for Collin to find a loophole in his drunken daze he had destroyed the faith of our young in our alpha. My niece and daughter could now phase into two forms. Wolf or panther depending upon their moods.

Not soon after that, Leo had left. Fled was more like it. Without a word to anyone.

Scratch that, we have reason to believe he had said something to Emileah before he left but she hadn't said a word to any of us about it. That's only because my normally happy daughter came crying to her mother about how Leo has always loved her less. Tamyra had tried to convince her otherwise, but Sahara wouldn't have it. She said she'd always known and she pretended to not let it get her down but for Leo to leave without even caring about her was too much.

It was at that I thought maybe Tamyra was right when she said that Sahara's happy and bubbly personality was a front. Just an act. That deep down she was just as cynical and angry as Emileah.

I, always the optimist hadn't believed her. Until that moment. It led to a very lengthy chat with my good friend Edward. He told me about raising Ness and how she'd gone through the stage of being someone she wasn't. Lucky for him it only lasted about a month. Sahara had been doing this for…I don't know how long.

I frowned. Realizing that our pack was continually getting torn apart. Only days after Leo had left, Tre and Leah called a pack meeting for our pack only. I had thought this would be the moment where we made plans to go find Leo and bring him back before he got into trouble. Even if he was a mature 17 year old, he was still a teen and a brand new wolf.

Instead Tre relayed the news that he too was leaving. To continue on our original mission.

Alone.

I was his beta. It hurt to know he wouldn't need me to back him. That he wasn't going to take any of us. We had made a plan before we left LaPush. We were going to do the re-routes for the Rez then we were going to hunt down the monsters that had been kidnapping and killing our fellow shifters.

Then he just suddenly decides that our whole pack needs to stay here and care for Leah.

He was leaving the pack here because the mission was that strenuous and because Leah would need more assistance being pregnant. Leah had growled thinking otherwise but the fact that she wasn't more vocal in her protest meant that she had consented to his plans.

Which meant we were staying.

Tre had pulled me aside saying he needed me to be alpha while he was gone, to care for my sister. The man that had become as close if not closer to me than my other pack brothers over the years. He was alpha and I was his beta. His second. I could read him as clearly as I could read Tamyra and Leah. I told him he didn't need to worry, that I'd keep our sisters safe.

But inside I was still fuming. Was I the only one that thought sending him on his own investigation was a suicide mission?

The plane landed and I was instantly overcome with a feeling of homesickness. We had travelled all over the world in our small pack and rarely did I feel overcome by such loneliness but I figured it must be the fact that this foreign state would become a more permanent residence. When we reached baggage claim I noticed a man try to help Sahara with her bag although he struggled with it more than she would have. She smiled and ignored the growl that came out of lips when the man held onto her hand for longer than need be. Tamyra was already heading for the exit with our carry-ons. When she got outside she immediately started looking for something.

"What is it?"

"I'm sure dad had LeAnn call a car for us." I frowned in confusion and not long after a black car with tinted windows pulled in front of us. The driver got out, popped the trunk and opened the back car door. He grabbed Myra's bags from her and ushered her into the vehicle. He did the same thing with Sahara and again with myself. The car was nice, set up like a small limo though I couldn't quite stretch my long legs. Sahara seemed content to sit Indian style on the seat.

"Ms. Foster," I jumped, startled when the driver's voice came through the speakers. "Mr. Foster requests your audience this afternoon."

"Could you drop us off at the hotel before taking us to see my father?" She asked some irritation in her voice.

"Ms. LeAnn has made arrangements for you and your guests to reside at the main house in lieu of hotel arrangements." Tamyra sighed.

"Fine, could you take us there so that we can recuperate after the flight?"

"Yes ma'am." The man didn't speak again until we reached our destination which I found to be a large 4 story house. The front lawn was huge with perfectly cut grass. As soon as the car stopped, the driver got out. A woman opened the front door to the house and ran to meet us at the car. She was short, only about 5'4. She was Tamyra's same skin tone though she looked to be in her late thirties, I could see a familial resemblance between the two. Tamyra smiled when she caught sight of the woman and instantly bound out of the car. Sahara, upon seeing her mother's excitement also smiled in genuine glee. The two women embraced each other and I didn't realize that I was still in the car until Tamyra signaled us out. I stepped out first then pulled Sahara out with me. When I stood at full height, the woman's mouth dropped then she placed a hand on her hip.

"And who might this be?" She said with teasing suggestion. I couldn't help but smile while Tamyra smirked.

"This would be Seth. Seth this is LeAnn, my cousin." I held out a hand to shake but LeAnn grabbed it then pulled me in for a hug. When she did she must've caught sight of Sahara because her voice instantly took on one of bright innocence.

"Oh my and who is this beautiful angel?" I chuckled at the way she spoke to Sahara as if she were no older than a baby.

"That would be Sahara." I noticed how Tamyra didn't introduce our relation to her. LeAnn then looked between all three of us. To any normal person it just looked like a bunch of young adults stepping out of the vehicle but LeAnn was perceptive.

"You guys aren't-" She stopped and looked between us again."I was going to say you don't look much older but-" She stopped again. Then her eyes opened really wide. "Tammy, is Sahara your daughter?" While Tamyra tried not to let any emotion show across her face, Sahara betrayed her by letting the biggest grin cross her features. LeAnn looked shocked before she turned to face me. "And I assume you're the father." She glanced quickly at Tamyra to gauge her reaction.

"Yes. And Myra's husband." LeAnn let out a low whistle. Then she stage whispered to Tamyra.

"Your man is hot!" Tamyra started laughing. "Though Uncle Terrance isn't going to be so enthusiastic." My smile dropped. LeAnn didn't notice as she made a look of disgust when she looked back at Tamyra. "Girl, I'm setting you up an appointment with Jesse tomorrow." Tamyra looked confused as she ran a hand tentatively through her hair. "That's why. You know Uncle Terrance doesn't approve of us going natural. Relaxer and a wrap sound fine?" LeAnn asked though she didn't wait for Tamyra to answer as she turned to Sahara next. "Her hair's nice though the curls may need to be straightened for the benefit." She turned to me last. "Hair cut. Definitely." I frowned. As did Sahara.

"LeAnn could you not insult my family and I on our hair." LeAnn scoffed.

"I'm not insulting you. Seth back there looks hot with his surfer boy hair and Sahara looks nice with those natural curls. And your fro. Absolute genius but you know your father. He hates anything that doesn't fit in with the business world. He's gonna tell you the same thing when you see him so you might as well hear it from me first." Meeting Tamyra's father was what I was most anxious about. Tamyra felt my anxiety as she pulled away from LeAnn to give me some silent comfort.

_It shouldn't be too bad. Just try to ignore most of what he says._I was about to question her on what she meant by that but by that time we had already reached a room inside the house.

"Mr. Foster." I tilted my head in confusion as LeAnn's tone changed to a completely professional one. "Tamyra is here to see you with guests." A long moment of silence passed before there was a response from the other side.

"Send them in." The voice was deep and raspy. It obviously belonged to an older man that still commanded attention. Though when the door opened and revealed a man with graying hair as he lie in a huge bed, my perception was altered. His eyes landed on Tamyra and he didn't seem to acknowledge mine or Sahara's presence. "Tammy, my baby, it's so nice of you to finally drop by and visit your old man. Well, aren't you gonna give me a hug?" Tamyra left our sides after throwing a weird glance my way. She bent down to hug her father. When he released her, he spoke again. "My girl, you haven't changed a bit. What's it been 10, 11 years?"

"21 years." Tamyra responded agitated that her father was fishing for answers.

"Oh that's right. When you and your brother ran off on your mom and I that one summer. I remember that now." He leaned back into his pillow satisfied with his guilt trip.

"You know we didn't mean to. There were some things we got caught up in."

"Yeah yeah, just make sure you don't bring no drugs in my house." He said as Tamyra leaned down to kiss him on the cheek. "Is that your supplier?" He pointed to me.

"Dad, I'm not on drugs." Tamyra said as she adjusted his pillow.

"Do you mind telling me who this young man is that you've brought into my house then?"

"Where's mom?" Tamyra asked, ignoring her father's question.

"In Jamaica with Jennings." Tamyra paused and stared at her father with concern.

"Why is mom on vacation with her boyfriend?"

"You know how she is." He cleared his throat. "She only married me for the money. Apparently I used to be fun, but now Jennings is retro or funky, whatever load of crap she tried to feed me during our separation." The news apparently didn't bother Tamyra though I fought really hard to keep my jaw from dropping.

"Dad this is Seth." He finally looked at me. Study is more like it.

"Is he a new intern or something?" He asked gruffly.

"He's my husband." Cue pin drop. I glanced back at Sahara who had yet to enter the room, choosing to remain shielded behind me. Then I glanced back at my father in law.

"What about Jonathan? I know you two were courting. He used to take you on dates."

"No, you used to set me up, you and John's dad when we were 15, hoping for some family merger or something. Besides didn't you notice when he showed up at the Kramer's Banquet with a male _friend_?" My eyes had widened at the mention of this Jonathan then even more at Tamyra's hinting.

"You mean that boy is a fa-"

"Dad!" Tamyra warned. "You're supposed to be politically correct in front of guests."

"He aint a guest. You just popped up in here after being MIA for two decades with some Injun on your arm saying he's your husband, meaning he has rights to _my_ company and I don't know him from Adam!"

"Dad-"

"And, don't get me started on how both your and Tre's trust funds have been rapidly depleting over the past few years. And the foreign accounts I know all about those. So conveniently signed in Jacquelline Foster's SS number."

"What would I know about mom's bank accounts on foreign soil?"

"Don't play dumb with me Tammy. We both know your mother aint smart enough to set up some accounts outside the country. And I know you. You play dirty. Just like your old man." I watched Tamyra cringe. I did as well at the thought that Tamyra was doing anything underhanded.

"I think that's enough, dad."

"Really? As far as I can tell, I'm just getting started," he paused and sent a thumb in my direction. "Who's the girl back there?" Sahara's squeak of surprise at being noticed brought me out of my shock at the arguing between my wife and her father. I held onto Sahara's wrist as she came forward at her mother's beckoning.

"That's our daughter, Sahara." The elder Terrance Foster glanced between the three of us in a manner similar to when LeAnn had taken in our appearances. Even though Sahara had dressed to look closer to her preteen years then teen years, it was still obvious that our age differences weren't nearly far enough apart.

"Is this some joke?" Terrance Senior looked up at his daughter. Tamyra looked away. "And you," he turned back to me, "Chief Wahoo! Next you're gonna tell me you're 35 years old."

"34 actually." He laughed apparently finding the whole thing funny.

"Could you not be disrespectful to my husband?" Tamyra asked under her breath though he still heard it. He was still laughing in disbelief.

"Fine," he said as if he was giving in but the smirk on his face said otherwise. "Seth is it?" I only nodded a little unsure what game he was about to play. "I'm Terrance Adam Foster Senior. I own a chain of corporations that brings in millions every quarter. My two children, one of whom you are married to, is to inherit at least $57million dollars and a portion of the company's ownership. Her brother is to inherit the rest, that is, if he's still alive. There's also the fifteen accounts in her name, the trusts, stocks, savings, bonds…you name it she probably has three of them. Anyway, she'll probably be closer to a billionaire by the time her no good mother dies. I'm sure she hasn't told you any of this, probably because I told her that most guys will want her for her money, don't deny it, you probably are feeling a little more hot for her right now." He said all this as if he were reading them off a list. Then his eyes finally grew serious. "But you see my kids have responsibilities outside of playing house and that includes taking over the family business when good ole dad kicks the can. So what are you Cherokee?" I literally shook my head from all the information.

"Quileute, sir." I answered.

"Never heard of 'em." He turned back to Tamyra. "Sure he aint one of them illegal aliens looking for a green card?" I'm pretty sure when I look back on this moment years from now I'll be convinced that I was in too much of shock at my father in law's bluntness to feel the least bit offended.

"Dad he's native. He practically has more right to be here than we do."

"That's where you're wrong little girl." His finger started to wag and I held back my immature groan from my youth that always came out when adults get on their soap box. "We aint from no Africa. We're American, black, I don't know what tribe or country my ancestor named slave number 435 is from. My roots are right here in the U.S. I have every right to be here. I just want to make sure you aint off procreating with some savage-"

"Seriously dad. This is the friggin 21st century. He's not livin in no hut with feathers on his head and dancing around a may pole. He was born in '92, lives on a reservation in Washington, has a 132 IQ and can beat me down in Mortal Kombat."

"This must be serious. A boy that can beat you in video games? Send me the wedding pictures." Tamyra playfully hit her father. Sahara glanced up at me, looking just as confused as I was. "Did Tre approve of him?"

"Yes he did." She answered confidently. The two shared a knowing glance then he finally turned to stare me down again.

"I wanna speak to him." Tamyra looked like she was about to protest, truth be told I wanted her to, but she stopped and left, pulling Sahara along with her. The door closed and I fought back the urge to gulp. "Come here boy." I stepped closer to the bed tentatively. "Closer, I'm just an_ old_ man, what can I do to such a _youngen_ like yourself?" I stood right by his bed, feeling uneasy by his tone. When I got close enough, his hand shot out and latched onto my forearm. "What's your full name son?"

"Seth Clearwater."

"Clearwater," He repeated it as if he were trying it out. "Did my daughter take your name?"

"Yes sir." As soon as I responded he tightened his hold and yanked me down farther. This man was really hiding his strength.

"That's my baby girl and if you hurt her I will make sure you pay. Her brother, her cousins, they will come after you. I might be old but I'm powerful and if you even think of touching her the wrong way I will hunt every known contact you've ever had and they will feel the pain. You got me?" I blinked a few times to clear my head realizing that he'd pulled me all the way down to right in front of his face. The thought that he should be worrying about what his own son could do to girls crossed my mind but I quickly wiped it away.

"I hear you loud and clear."

"Don't sass me boy." He let my arm go with a shove. I was still in shock as to how he could manhandle me. "And get her to change her name back."

…huh?

"Sir?"

"To Foster. Get her to change her name back to Foster. "

"With all due respect sir, we're both content with her carrying _my_ last name."

"My daughter's not going to run _Foster_ Corporations with a last name of _Clearwater_. She'll lose respect in the field and validity. Not to mention she's a woman, no matter how qualified she is."

"What if she gets it hyphenated?" I asked feeling awkward about making decisions for Tamyra as if she was nothing more than _my_ wife. She could make her own decisions.

"To Clearwater-Foster?" He asked, eyebrows raised in expectation.

"Foster-Clearwater. Foster's the maiden, it comes first." I didn't like that my first conversation with my father in law had turned into a verbal spat but the guy was getting on my nerves.

What a strange feeling.

"Fine," he huffed and turned to face the door."Where's my granddaughter so I can meet her?" Sahara returned to the room a few minutes later. I left it in a daze. I later found out that Terrance Senior acted like the perfect grandpa to Sahara. A complete 180 from when I was in the room.

We had been in Ohio for only a week before LeAnn started pulling Tamyra away for meeting after meeting. Her father was apparently already pushing her into his role. I was out of my element as I watched her return to the house day after day looking more worn and distraught than I had in years.

LeAnn made sure she was dressed to look closer to that of a very youthful 40 instead of a 25 year old. Her hair was straightened, I'd never seen it as such. Then promptly cut and styled. Sahara spent the time getting to know the few relatives that made their way to the house. They usually came asking to see Tamyra who would be out of course, so they were stuck with me.

Which peeked their curiosity even more.

But between those days, I found myself really bored.

"Why don't you explore their mansion?" Quil suggested on the phone one afternoon. "I'm sure they have secret rooms somewhere or something you know in case of-"

"Natural Disasters?" I offered.

"Naw man, I was actually gonna say in case of hostile takeovers or if they were tryin to hide the kids from getting kidnapped. "

"Kidnapped?" The word had been thrown around so much the past few months by the pack that I got a little too nervous.

"Yeah, have you seen Man on Fire, of course you have we TiVoed it way back on HBO. Anyway, remember how Denzel's character had to save Dakota's character 'cause she got kidnapped and it was set up by her dad-"

"I don't think Myra's dad would set up for her to be kidnapped."

"Dude! Dude! Dude! You can't say stuff like that over the phone! He's filthy rich, you know his phones are tapped. That's as bad as saying…oh I don't know _bomb_ on an airplane!" That sound like a line from Meet the Parents…

"Quil, are you having an old movies marathon without me?" There was a long pause.

"…of course not bro." I didn't believe him. "So how's Iowa?"

"Ohio." I corrected. "And I already told you, boring and unsettling. And I'm pretty sure Mr. Foster has the butler keeping an eye on me."

"Is his name Benson?" And that's pretty much how all the conversations went with Quil. Though one day I actually took his advice, against my better judgment and went exploring the large property. Who would have thought that the most interesting thing I found outside of old photo albums and baby pictures, was an old answering machine tape forgotten in a shoe box in one of the guest room closets.

Not that I'd been searching every inch of the house or anything.

"Whacha listening to dad?" I'd been playing the tape over and over again with fascination akin to a curious cat when Sahara walked in on me. I kept it at a low enough volume that no one else in the house would know that I was listening to a thing except Sahara of course.

"Come here." I motioned her over and she sat on my lap like she was my 5 year old princess again. I rewound the tape in the old answering machine.

_You've reached the Foster family line. Please leave a message after the tone._

"_Dad!" _Tre's voice, a much younger and panicked version broke through the message. _"Dad! Please pick up! It's important!" _ The tape was clear enough that I could pick up the sound of rain coming from Tre's end of the line. _"Something's happened. Tammy, she's…I don't know what to do. Please! Mom! Dad! Somebod-"_

_End of message. Next message. _There ended up being three more similar messages on the tape with the same frantic plea by Tre for his parents to pick up the phone.

"_Dad. I'm sorry. I know you're listening to these. She's gone. I lost her. She-" _The click of the phone could be heard and another deeper voice rang through the machine.

"_Who did you lose?" _It was gruff and deep. I knew immediately that it belonged to the elder Terrance Foster. _"Boy, if you don't tell me who-"_

"_Tammy. She…something happened to her. I can't explain I-"_

"_What happened to my baby?" _A woman's voice was heard in the background, I could only guess it to be Mrs. Foster. "_Tre where's my bab-"_

"_I don't even believe it myself. She- she ran off. With a few of the others."_

"_I told you kids not to go down there with those hillbilly cousins of yours. We don't even know those people. And now you let your baby sister run off with a bunch of strangers."_

"_Dad I-"_

"_And you expect me to let you control the business, this __**family**__ when you can't even protect your 15 year old __**sister**__."_

"_Dad she's not herself she-"_

"_Don't you blame your shortcomings on a child! You get back here with your sister or I don't want to see your no good face again!"_

"_Terrance!" _Mrs. Foster gasped and the message cut off.

_End of message. Next message._

"_Dad, it's me Tre." _This voice was calmer, if not more distressed. It was the sound of someone with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Just like the Tre I'd come to know. _"I know you're there, you'll want to pick up for this." _The phone clicked and a gruff sounding father answered the phone.

"_Did you find her?"_

"_Yes." _There was a silent pause on both ends. _"But we can't come back." _The first time I'd listened to this tape, I automatically flinched expecting some yelling and uproar to follow but I was surprised.

"_It's been six months Tre. You claim to have found my daughter but you say you can't come back. I demand an explanation."_

"_You won't want us back." _Sahara gasped when she heard her mother's voice replace her Uncle's.

"_Tammy, is that you? Where have you been?" _It was strange how Terrance Senior's voice changed from serious and gruff to worried and compassionate when Myra got on the phone.

"_I can't tell you. We-we're not the same." _She sounded sad and defeated. Even though I knew I was just listening to a tape I felt a tremor of anger go through my body nonetheless.

"_Tammy, whatever it is I can get you out of it. I don't like you kids out there unprotected. If you got into some trouble we'll sort it out when you get back-"_

"_You can't buy us out of this one dad. This is…this is heavier than you can imagine. I don't want you and mom getting involved."_

"_Tamyra, I'm your father. I'm telling you to come home now!" _

"_We can't." _

"_Tamyra!" _One of the phones was being jostled around.

"_Dad, we gotta go-"_

"_Tam-Tre! Tre! Wait! I have to know. Can I still leave the business to you? Are you coming home __**ever**__?" _There was heavy breathing coming from both ends of the phone. For a few long moments it felt like Tre was thinking over his father's words. I could picture the two teens, who would come to be my future wife and brother in law, standing huddled together near a phone probably sorely confused and scared.

"_If you can continue to support us, we'll handle the business when you can't." _

"_I have your word?"_

"_You have my word." End of messages._

"Was that from-" Before I could answer Sahara, someone cleared their throat. I turned to see the butler standing in the doorway. How he got there without my knowledge, I'll never know.

"The maids need to clean the room, sir and miss." The butler's eyes made a very obvious glance at the answering machine. I knew immediately that this was an order to get out. I was half tempted to take the machine with me, but that would be too obvious.

"Yeah, sure. C'mon Sahara, maybe we can find some food in this place." Sahara was quick on the uptake and bounced along beside me as if nothing happened. When we were far enough away from prying ears Sahara's smile dropped.

"Dad," she turned and grabbed me by the arm. "That was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever heard. Why was grandpa so mean to them? I know they had an agreement but the way Uncle Tre tells the story I never thought-" She stopped talking. I knew what she was going to say. I could see it in her mind clear as day. He had practically disowned them. He hadn't answered the phone at Tre's pleads until he said Tamyra was in trouble. He was a stern and harsh man. And years of being separated from his kids only seemed to make it worse.

"I'll talk to your mother about it." Tamyra didn't come home until 10pm that night. I waited in the guest room that was next to her old room. She had already slipped her pumps off and was dragging her feet as she barely had time to throw off her suit jacket before collapsing into bed beside me. "Tough day?"

"A nightmare." She said, her speech muffled by the pillow. She turned on her back finally as I pried the briefcase she was carrying from her fingers. "Those corporate reps are sharks. Every single one of 'em." She dislodged the Bluetooth from her ear. "This is so much harder than it was back in the day." She sighed while I stared at her confusion.

"You were only 15 or 16 when you left. How would you-" I stopped when she gave me a meaningful look. "You were being trained to do this that young?"

"My father has had me sitting in on meetings since I was 13. Tre since he was 9. I know the lingo, the ties both legal and not-" she stopped herself growing more aggravated with each syllable. "The economy went bad and now everyone's just out for themselves. No one's in it for quality or the sake of beautiful business. It's buy or be bought now. No one even remembers-"

"Maybe you should remind them." I said before I even realized what I was saying.

"My grandfather was the last formidable owner of the business. After he died, my dad tightened the reigns and made it so that no one could destroy us. I'm grateful that he made us so financially secure but he turned down a lot of alliances in the process. I'm practically fighting on my own in those meetings. " She slapped a hand over her eyes and whined. "God, Tre was so much better at this type of thing than me. The guy was 17 and he could command the attention of a room like nobody's business. He was confident and sure of himself and he was the only one that could sway dad into giving smaller businesses a chance."

"And you?"

"I was good with numbers. I pretty much oversaw all the accounts. Kept the spending and allocations in order. It was mom's job but dad said she almost ran us into the ground one month because of her neglect. I always liked the behind the scenes stuff. I wasn't much for being the face of the company."

"I found the tape." She looked at me with a confused look on her face. "From when you and Tre first phased and made the deal with your dad." She blinked a few times the sat up in silence probably reflecting on the time.

"Yeah, well that was…can I hear it?" I showed her where I had found it. Surprisingly the butler and maids hadn't moved it. She played it and listened without showing much emotion on her face but I could hear her thoughts as clear as day. She was reliving the vivid memories. There were flashes of their relatives some I recalled from the panther pack. I saw a mud covered 18 year old Tre trying to coax his panther sister out of her hiding spot. I saw him screaming in rage as he turned himself. I saw a dozen pair of eyes that stared at him as the new leader of their small pack. Then the phone call. They had been standing in the rain at a pay phone. Tre's mouth was clenched the entire conversation as his father rebuked him. Tremors went up and down his skin as he fought the phase. "Life hasn't been kind to my brother." She stopped the tape and came to wrap her arms around me. I returned the embrace.

"Do you want to go to bed?"

"More than anything right now." I half carried her back to the guest room. How her father actually thought we were going to sleep in separate rooms when we were married was beyond me. She snuggled into my side. I couldn't sleep as I stroked her hair and watched her eyelids droop considerably.

"Myra?" I asked.

"Yeah?" She asked and I could tell from her tone that she was only moments from slumber.

"Do you think I can help you with the business?" I cringed before she could catch it. She chose to ignore the inner argument I was having with myself. I knew what I was offering. It meant that I'd accepted that this whole family business wasn't going to go away anytime soon and this could very well end up being my life.

_Our_ life, as normal American family that just happened to be filthy rich and could phase into wild animals.

"Are you sure?" She asked but what she was really asking was, am I sure I'm ready to give up being defined by the wolf I shift into, by my status as a protector of LaPush and Havens across the country. I would still be those things but I would now become predominantly a father and husband and partner to my wife. "I can still try and sell or-"

"I'm sure. Besides I know that if you guys lose access to the funds, the Havens will suffer incredibly. We'll still be part of the pack, we'll just be on the business side." I had to be optimistic about this. It made me realize how hard it must have been for Sahara to pretend to be an optimist all these years.

"Sometimes I wish Leo hadn't phased." That was an unexpected response.

"Why's that?" She yawned before answering.

"We could have adopted him then sent him here to run the business. After he graduated from some top Business school first."

"Right, because I'm sure the first thing on Leo's mind was becoming a CEO." Myra laughed sleepily before finally succumbing. I stayed awake five more minutes and wondered if I should name Collin alpha male in _my_ stead.

…

Collin as alpha?

Alpha Collin?

...

Tre really needs to get back to Washington.

* * *

**A/N: **This is a transition chap into the second part of the story which picks up like a week after this chapter. Um a bit of Tre and Myra's background hopefully this ties together their story from Bliss and Agony and the little tidbits dropped in Til Imprint (if you remember them lol). It's hard to write and older Seth. Anyway yeah hope you review. And if this stuff is getting confusing...well it's kinda supposed to. I'm making a whole bunch of loose ends so that they can be tied up later. Okay this is a long A/N, done now.


	33. Emileah's Chorus:1

_I'm going to stay here for a few more weeks. I'm enjoying getting to know our cousins._

She was lying.

_I also want to help father adjust to life here. He feels isolated._

Not surprising.

_You would like grandfather. He's very similar to you in some ways._

That's a good enough reason to stay away. It's a known fact that I don't get along with people who are similar to me.

_Emileah, I'm beginning to think you don't get along with anyone._

Then your thinking would be correct.

_I'll call you when I decide to come home._

Don't bother, I won't pick up. Just send me a thought when you're at the airport.

_Sometimes I…never mind. _

Say it.

_Nothing-_

No say it. I want to know Sahara. Tell me what you _really_ want to say.

_I'll talk to you later Emileah._

Weak.

That's all she was. She never talks back. Never tells me what she really thinks. It's just too easy to get under her skin and get on her nerves. But sweet little Sahara would never fight back. It was simple really, she was strong but she wasn't a fighter.

Not yet.

But that will change. If she even thinks that I would ever make her my beta in her current state, she's sorely mistaken. My beta female is going to be a fighter and a thinker. She better be able to back me up and not be a liability.

Sahara was so not a beta yet.

"Hey Emileah, do you mind watching the kids for a few minutes while I run to the store?" Ah Kim, I could read that woman so easily. A mother before she was ready, a woman before her time. And the wife to a wolf before she could come into her own. She became the new Emily, the part time mother for the pack. I could see the regret in her eyes sometimes as she watched Jared go out to patrol.

I only know this because of what I've seen in the other's memories. What they missed.

"Sure Kim." She hands me her small toddler daughter. The child wasn't imprinted on. She was bound to her human ways. She had been deemed too weak to pass on the line. I watched as the boy, Jason, came into the room. He will shift, I can tell. I sense his inner wolf which is even more of a cub than he is, resting just beneath the surface.

"Hi Emileah. What are you doing here?"

"Hey kid. Your mom stepped out to go to the store so…" He nodded and moved to the couch to watch TV. I didn't miss the uneasy glances he kept shooting my way. He was unnerved by me. I noticed that all the kids seemed to avoid me, even Paul's demon child Junior. I guess I never gave off the maternal vibes. They saw me as a threat.

Perfect.

I already knew these kids would be the start of the new LaPush pack. The ones I would be forced to cooperate with when I came into my own. If I instilled fear of me in them young, we would have no problems in the future. That's the problem with the pack relations now.

Dad's nearly a push over with Embry's pack.

And mom's only intimidating. She isn't feared.

I've voiced my concerns to the pack mentally but of course I'm only 16. What do I know?

"So when is Leo coming back from his vacation?" Jason questioned me without turning his head to face me. I watched as he silently clicked through three more channels before I replied.

"I don't know. " He only nodded slightly. "You know," I started, moving to join him on the furniture. "Leo's not really gone on vacation." Jason halted his mindless channel flipping though he didn't look me in the eye.

"He's not?" Oh no, that weak little ungrateful wannabe wolf just ran off. He's not confident, he leads like he read it from a how to textbook and he's naïve.

Worst of all, he's a coward.

He runs at the first sign of trouble. He's nothing but a child-"Emileah?" Oh right, I should probably answer the kid.

"No, he's run away. The pressures were too great for him so he's decided that he'd be better off running with his tail between his legs."

"That's not true. That can't be true!"I smiled finally able to get a rise out of the kid. Good he'll need that anger later in life. "Dad told me he phased. He's a wolf. The wolf pack is brave-"

"I promise you kid, Leo's not a real wolf. He phased and ran." Jason's eyes were huge. Of course, he idolized Leo. It was time to crush that pedestal before it even was finished being erected.

We wouldn't want another wolf turning out like Leo "The Coward" Uley.

"You don't want to be like him do you? You need to learn to be strong. When you turn into a wolf, you'll have to be ready to fight and take everything that comes at you. Your soft parents are lying to you. They're trying to protect you but I'll let you in on a secret. The world is cruel, both natural and supernatural. You need to toughen up or the world is going chew you up and spit you out. And I can tell you now, the only one of you kids who's going to be the least bit prepared is Junior. Learn from him." Jason inhaled unsteadily and I knew he was eating up everything I said.

The kid was book smart. He wasn't street smart. But he was still young and impressionable. He would see me as his source of eye opening information and I would happily supply it.

Because I was the only reasonable person in a fifty mile radius who knew something was coming. I could feel it.

And the only way we could fight what was coming was if the young, the ones that would be leading when it hit us were trained to be stronger, not weaker than those before them.

The wolf pack didn't need to be breeding lawyers and teachers. They needed to be breeding soldiers and thinkers.

"So if you think your parents are lying to you about anything else you come to me got it?" He started nodding furiously.

"Got it." I ruffled his hair to show some affection. He smiled then turned back to the TV. Maybe mothering is easier than I thought.

"I'm back! Thank you Emileah, I just had to get some more diapers. Anything happen while I was gone?" Kim grabbed the baby out of my arms and noticed my hand still resting atop Jason's head. I put on my most innocent smile.

"Nope we were just getting to know each other better." Fortunately Jason nodded his head in agreement with my statement. Like they say, it takes a village to raise a child right?

* * *

**A/N: **so I'm eating pound cake right now and it's really good.


	34. Emileah's Chorus:2

I wandered the Reservation with no particular destination in mind. Mindless walking. The only time I could just get away and let the buzz of thoughts from the others in our pack turn into just that, a buzz.

"Emileah!" Sometimes I liked to turn people's voices into buzzes too. "Hey Emileah wait up!" Or even that drone from Charlie Brown...Mwa mwa mwa mwa- "Hey can you wait up a sec-"

"What do you want Hunter?" He finally caught up to me. His eyes glanced to the group of teens across the street from us. I followed his gaze, unimpressed by the silly humans and turned back to him. "Any day now, Hunter." His eyes found mine again.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing? How everything has-"

"Let's cut to the chase Hunter. We're not friends, the only reason we associate is because we're both shifters and because of our connections with Leo so please stop wasting my time and tell me what you want." He idiotically shook his head.

"Right, okay I was just wondering if you heard anything from him."

"Leo? Of course not. That little punk knows I'm the last person that would be sympathetic to his little attention getting charade." Hunter seemed to be physically taken aback by my statements. Like I said we weren't friends. If we were, he'd be used to this by now.

"I thought you two were close." There we go with the assumptions from outsiders looking in. I increased my pace.

"What makes you think we aren't?"

"Honestly, you sound either bitter about something that involves him or you just plain hate him."

"I'm not my mother, I don't do bitter. If you do something to tick me off, you're dead got it? I don't have energy to waste on being angry for long periods of time. As for hate? No, I don't hate him. I just hate that he has enough gall to rip our family apart." He had followed me all the way to the Haven house. He was standing there looking sheepish. I wish he would just end this conversation.

"How is your dad?" He questioned it like an after thought.

"When I hear from him I'll let you know." And with that he was greeted by the slamming of a door in his face.

"That wasn't very nice." I turned around at the voice to be greeted by blond hair and short stature. The little kitten girl.

"I don't do nice."

"Do you know when Sahara's coming back?" What is it with people today and their questions?

"Do I look like Sahara's keeper?" The girl just stared at me. Great, she probably doesn't even know what that means. "No, I don't know." She flinched as I made my way to the kitchen island. The girl joined me after struggling to get into one of the stools. She kept eyeing my bowl of cereal. Then her eyes would flicker back up to my face. "What?"

"You're the only one that hasn't changed." I paused mid bite to stare at her not comprehending.

"What do you mean I haven't changed?"

"When you all came back from Alaska. Everyone was down then Sahara left with her parents and then Miss Leah got really…um…"

"Moody?" I offered.

"Yeah I guess. And Mr. Collin and Mr. Brady are never around the house much anymore. But you're still your grumpy and angry self. Like normal."

"I'm not grumpy and angry kid."

"You're not?" She asked, not believing.

"No. I'm a realist. You've been hanging around Sahara too long so you interpret anything that's not roses and rainbows as bad." She tilted her head in confusion. "Look, I'm gonna set you straight right now." I got up and grabbed a glass and put some water in it. I set it between us on the counter not caring that some of the liquid sloshed onto the counter from the force. "You see this glass?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"If I showed Sahara this glass, she will, without fail always tell you that it's half full. Leo, you remember him right. Moody dramatic kid that we kicked out the family for a little bit?" She nodded. "He'll probably tell you it's half empty. I'm telling you now don't be the optimist like 'Sare because you'll be ignorant of all the negative things in the world. And don't be a pessimist like Leo or you'll miss all the little happy moments in life."

"So I should be like you?"

"Don't be like me either. Be your own person." I watched her face screw up into one of contemplation.

"My mom married my stepdad when I was four." I paused my reach for my cereal spoon when she started talking. "He started beating me when I was five I think."I didn't bother to tell her this wasn't a socially acceptable way to start a conversation with someone." I got really mad one day when I was six because he started to hit mommy. That's when I turned into a cat."

"That's why you ran away?"

"No," she added the shaking of her head as if to emphasize the point. "I ran away because I want to go back and help mommy one day." That struck me right to the core. I may be harsh sometimes but this kid had the face of an angel. How any low life could get a kick out of hurting her was beyond me. But that wasn't what really got me. It was the fact that she hadn't been on this planet a decade and she could already feel protective over her parent. She knew she had an advantage. She could shift. I wouldn't care if her shift was a turtle. She could do something he couldn't. She was a cat and cats have claws. The only thing I could think about was her scratching that man's eyes out.

"Listen to me kid when you graduate from the Haven school and become of age, you join a tiger clan. They're cats, bigger than you but they'll teach you how to be a ferocious little house pet. And when they teach you to fight and defend yourself you go and shred that monster of a stepdad to pieces and you love it while you do it you hear me?" She nodded. A silence fell between us so I resumed eating my third breakfast of the day.

"So what do you say when you see the glass?" She asked after a moment.

"I'm gonna tell you that it's a stupid glass of water that has nothing to do with me." I answered without looking at her. "What about you?" She shrugged then reached for the glass and drank the water in one go. "That's my girl."

All in a day's work.

* * *

**A/N: **So just a few chaps to get you used to Emileah before the issues are addressed. :) :/ :| ....sorry was having too much fun making smileys


	35. Emileah's Chorus:3

I woke to the incessant sounds of mom texting. Granted she was on the floor beneath me and at least three rooms over but I could still hear the pounding of her fingers across the number pad like she was sending a frantic SOS in my ear. I found her sitting on a lounge in nothing but sweats.

"Hey Emileah."She said without looking up at me. "Have a good sleep?"

"Nope and your phone punching made it worse." She didn't respond. It was how our mornings always went. Usually if she was in a good mood she'd put up more of a fight but it was obvious whoever was on the other end of her texting frenzy was being granted more attention than myself. I took the time to study her. From my calculations she had to be pregnant three or four weeks but she was already showing as if she were a few months.

"Were you that big when you were pregnant with me?" She finally looked up at me with this look that was a cross between anger and hurt.

Please don't tell me the hormones are kicking in already.

"I developed three times faster than a normal pregnancy when I was carrying you."

"So is the wolf-vamp baby doing the same thing?" She let her thoughts slip but all I caught was the number two.

"Maybe," she readjusted herself in the seat. "Carlisle thinks the baby will develop between 4 and 6 months. He can't tell exactly because the child seems to be creating a hard amniotic sac around itself, not quite as strong as Nessie's but-"

"Why'd you do it?" It had been bugging me. Everyone else had asked her the same question but she usually ignored them and changed the subject. I was her daughter, I deserved an answer.

"Why shouldn't I?" Didn't mean she was going to give me one. She returned to her texting. I didn't leave the room immediately and she noticed. "Are you bored or something?"

"Who are you texting?" She rolled her eyes knowing that I was only answering her question with a question to return the favor.

"Rosalie. By the way she said you can have the cycle the next time you come to Alaska, whatever that means."

"Like have _have_?"

"Yeah I guess." Sweet. That was a pretty smooth ride. Even when I forced Leo to ride on the back it was like gliding.

"_Emileah, I'm not riding behind you!" Leo argued as they stood in the driveway. _

"_Why? Because you're the guy?"_

"_Yes and you're sapping away my masculinity by making me ride back!" You see at this point I only smirked because I knew I was going to win this argument. Why? Because one, I had better reflexes than the still human Leo and two he was freezing and discomfort usually led to concession on his part._

"_Well if you want to be held responsible for potentially killing us because you didn't see the black ice on the road then by all means." I dangled the keys in front of his face._

"_Shut up and drive!" _

Too bad that cowardly wolf ran off, otherwise I'd promptly remind him of that night he was acting like such a freaking girl. He'd probably just storm off feeling embarrassed and go complain to his boyfriend Hunter.

"Have you heard from da-Tre?" Mom put the phone away ad looked at me.

And I mean really looked at me.

Great she was going to try and have a heart to heart.

"I told you that you would be the first to know when I heard something from him but the last thing I heard was about a week ago." I nodded and started to get up. Maybe she'd let me leave before she continued. "Emileah." I stopped, it was practically a command. "He's still you father."

"Yeah, but not by choice." I moved to leave again then stopped. "Then again, I guess the same could be said for you Leah." She slipped again, let a thought pass through that she didn't want me to see but it was just a flicker and I couldn't make it out before that wall was back in place. She got up suddenly, well as sudden as a pregnant woman could and walked over to a nightstand. She pulled open the drawer and retrieved a black notebook from inside it. She tossed it to me which I caught with ease. "What's this?"

"You seem bored or troubled as Solomon says. I told him you were feeling withdrawn."

"Solomon's an ER doc. He's no shrink."

"He took a lot of psych classes in school, it was his minor. Anyway he said journaling may help you."

"Now you think I need help?"

"I think you need an outlet." She walked to stand in front of me. We were the same height so she didn't have to strain to look me in the eye. "Besides when I fell into my depression, journaling helped me some."

"First off mom," she really brought this on herself. "Don't ever compare my feelings of finding out I'm nothing but a product of rape to your blubbering over being broken up with your boyfriend."

"Watch your mouth, Emileah." Her eyes narrowed and she got even closer. I ignored her statement.

"Secondly I'm not depressed. I'm freaking angry. It's just taking me a little bit to figure out how I'm going to demolish this new obstacle."

"Not everything can be solved with a fight."

"Are you sure about that?" She hesitated. Apparently she wasn't expecting that snap response. Truthfully neither was I but it seemed to fit so I ran with it.

"Correction, not everything _needs_ to be solved with a fight." She turned her back on me "I'm going to take a nap now. I trust you'll use that journal, it'll help. And if it doesn't you can always burn it like I did mine." I didn't think much about that journal until it mysteriously showed up under my pillow when I clearly remember throwing it in the garbage after mom had left the room. I opened it up to the first blank page.

_Dear Journal,_

_I hate you. _

_Emileah_

**A/N: **So I may not have been clear but the story has changed POVs. This isn't Leo's POV anymore. It's Emileah's POV. Yeah and I opened my email and had like a million (or more like 10) emails from fanfiction so I decided to post early. Though one of my friends is gonna be ticked :)


	36. Emileah's Chorus:4

"Emileah! Wake up I made breakfast!" I grumbled, throwing the pillow off my head and blankets off the bed. I was ready to snap at mom about yelling to wake me up but then I realized that it wasn't mom's voice and this wasn't my bed. "You better hurry before the kids and Paul eats it all." It was Rachel's voice. I hurried down to breakfast knowing all too well that Paul still ate like he was an active wolf and the quads ate like they were already going through the change.

"I'm comin." I sat at the dining table between Junior and Pablo. Rachel had made a full breakfast spread. Everyone started loading up their plates save one, Junior. He was studying me like I was some new insect he'd found in his back yard. "Whaddya want?" Rachel glanced at me but I knew she wouldn't say anything. I was being a little mean but this was Junior we were talking about. He could handle his own.

"Do you chase yourself?" The rest of his family seemed confused at his question. So was I. "When you phase, do you?"

"Why would I do such an idiotic thing?" I asked and promptly shoved a buttered biscuit with honey in my mouth.

"Language please Emileah." Rachel quietly scolded. I paid her no mind.

"You're a wolf and a panther which is like a dog and a cat. So do you chase yourself?" The question, formed as such was dumb but I knew that was as philosophical as Junior's eight year old mind was going to get with the subject. The two sides of me were…complicated. In all honesty, my wolf form was more natural to me, I'd had it since before I was born. The panther side was developed out of anger. Out of hate. It was more aggressive in a way. Only Sahara knew what it felt like to be pulled in two different directions by oneself but she hardly speaks on it.

"No kid, I don't chase myself." Though I do sometimes feel like I want to tear myself apart. The thinking made me lose most of my appetite. After picking around the rest of my breakfast I decided some reflection would do me good. "I'm gonna go for a run."

"Can I come?" Junior asked and it surprised me. Rachel made a sound of unease at the question, even Paul who hadn't said anything through the meal paused stuffing his face to share an uneasy glance with his wife.

"I don't think that would be a good-"

"It's fine." I cut into Paul's disapproval. "I used to carry Leo all the time and we are the same age." They knew by run I didn't mean bipedal. When Paul shrugged I looked to Junior. "You just gotta promise to hold on for dear life." Rachel cringed at my word use but Junior's eyes brightened in excitement. He was already nodding then I noticed that the other three kids had yet to speak. I almost laughed when I looked at them. Pablo was staring at Junior in shock. Paulie looked like Junior had just grown a second head.

Paulis looked like he was about to cry in horror.

Good, I didn't have to worry about the other brats coming along with me. I finished up and Junior dutifully followed me outside to the tree line. I was already clad in my phasing pants. Before Junior could even scream indecency I had yanked my shirt and bra off and was in wolf form. Then again he was Paul's son, he probably would cry that he didn't get a free show.

It sure does pay to be one of the fastest shifters.

Junior clambered on top of me when I lowered myself to his level. I started off at a jog, allowing the kid to get used to the fast speeds. I remember a few times when Leo would nearly fly off our backs if we started running too fast too soon. Good thing he learned to adjust quicker as he got older.

No sense in traumatizing Junior today though.

My mind instantly started to wander when I heard Junior's first sounds of excitement. Mainly to the reason mom had sent me to stay with Rachel and Paul for the week. I mean it wasn't really my fault. She was making dumb decisions and not including me in them.

How else did she want me to respond when she said that she was pregnant with not only Jacob and Renesmee's child but possibly with Embry and Tenia's as well?

Jake and Ness, okay I can understand that. Jake's like her best male friend. But _Tenia_?

She doesn't care much about Embry and I _know_ she hates Tenia. So why would she agree to some unethical chance pregnancy procedure that involved Carlisle injecting her with zygotes from both Jake and Ness and Embry and Tenia? I asked her that and she told me to be fair.

What are we five?

Bringing life into the world, being a surrogate mother-I hear Junior's cries of fright, figuring in my anger I must have sped up. I slow and he quiets. Anyway like I was thinking, this isn't a matter of fairness.

Something else is going on with that woman. She could be carrying three kids but Carlisle can't see anything because the first kid is blocking the others with its own sac. All I know is that there's a whole lot of Black bloodline being carried in a Clearwater womb right now.

And if I'm being perfectly honest with myself right now: I don't like it.

That's a place that should be claimed by me and any siblings of mine. I don't really care if the Black blood can't be carried on through the boys because they got stuck with malfunctioning imprints. Neither of them are good alphas anyway.

Okay maybe Jacob had the potential to be a good alpha, but he's practically a vampire. That became null and void when he got tied to the Cullens. And Embry?

Psh. That guy's not an alpha. Everyone praises him for what he's done for the tribe.

Well I would like to be informed on what work he actually _has_ done. I mean all he did was agree to start the Haven school. Which is pretty much run by Aunt Tamyra, mom, Nana Sue and the imprints. Embry _oversees_ which is code for make appearances and make sure there are no riots. I mean the Haven is bringing in the extra money for the reservation, but when we get down to it that money is coming from one of my father's many bank accounts. All Embry does is allocate it. And the pack? How hard is it to tell the wolves to go on patrol? The same patrols they've been doing for twenty years now.

The kid on my back would probably make a better alpha than the ones that currently held the blood titles. Speaking of Junior…

He was waving a hand in the air in excitement as we flew through the trees. Good I hadn't killed him in my mental wanderings.

Back to my original thought. This whole surrogacy thing is just messed up. I, of course, vocalize my concerns and what do I get? A freaking lecture and banishment from the house for a week.

So maybe I asked mom if Tenia had threatened her and mom hesitated when I expected her to laugh it off so I went a little off the handle and marched over to the Call house in the middle of the night.

It's not like I would have killed Tenia. Just roughed her up a little. But now that marshmallow Embry is paranoid and demanded that mom reprimand me and he has two of the pack acting as body guards for her at all times. Which is an insult to himself because the universe decided that he was supposed to be enough to protect and complete and love Tenia. And apparently he doubts his ability to protect her from a little girl like me.

Sometimes imprinting makes me sick. It makes people go soft. I'm the only one who sees that. That's why I reject it.

I suppose I could give Leo props where they are due. He is rejecting his supposed imprint. Then again, I know that boy, if that girl manages to survive being born by my mother, Leo is gonna cast one glance at her and fall for her.

And you wanna know why I know that? Because Sam was his father, whose father was Joshua and anyway those Uleys are just made from some bad blood, of weaklings and heartbreakers.

I need to stop thinking like I'm writing in that blasted journal.

"Emileah that was great!" Well, I'm glad Junior had fun. It was the first time I'd ever heard him just sound like a carefree kid. We were back at the tree line. I lowered him to the ground and he ran towards the street. I hung back to untie my bra and shirt. I slipped some discarded shorts on over my phasing pants. The shorts smell like Collin… great. I'm sure he'd love it if he found me wearing these. As I emerged from the trees I saw that something had made Junior pause.

"Hey you little freak, why don't you come over here and we'll play a game." I held back my flinch at the word freak then realized some high schoolers were taunting Junior. He looked angry but was smart enough to know that he couldn't take an entire group of teen boys on.

"Just shut up Wilson!" Junior yelled back when he felt me behind him. My hands slid to my hips. So this is the mighty Wilson? I looked him up and down. He didn't seem so threatening to me.

Actually he looked kind of weak and vulnerable. He sought safety in numbers.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Wilson looked at me with this cocky look on his face.

"Why don't you, slut?" Oh yeah, I forgot I still had to pay him back for those insults about me and mom at the Council meetings. His posse started laughing with him. I'd had enough.

"I think I will." And just like that I was marching across the street ignoring Junior's half hearted protests. His friends quieted down seeing my approach. They were wise, I'm sure my look was pretty menacing right now.

"What are you gonna do gir-" He doubled over in pain when my knee made contact with his stomach.

"That one was for Leo." I slapped him causing his head to whip to the right though I only put as much energy behind it as a normal human would a love tap. Couldn't kill him now could I? "That was for insulting my mom and me." I slapped his face back the other way. "That was for insulting me just now. And this," I knocked his feet out from under him, "is for being a low down dirty flea infested dog and thinking you can go after little kids." His posse had already fled the scene. After one final kick I turned around and headed back to a beaming Junior. I'm sure tomorrow he'll feel upset that he couldn't beat up Wilson himself but right now I'll bask in the hero worship.

Of course Junior didn't know how to shut up about it when we got back to the house so I was forced to smile tentatively at a seething Rachel while the rest of the quads and Paul Sr. ate up details about how I nearly killed Wilson.

_Dear Journal,_

_I'm off punishment for threatening to hurt Tenia. Now I'm on punishment for bruising Wilson's ribs and causing him to throw up. Oh and being a poor role model for the kids._

_So worth it._

_Emileah_

**A/N: **I think I might go see the movie for the second time tomorrow...oh yeah wait what happened in this chap. OMG i can't remember but I feel like it was confusing. Just leave a review if you're confused :) Or leave one if you like the story...or to rant about how you hate Emileah or how you miss Leo or if you think that small tidbits of Leah are OOC....anything really lol.


	37. Emileah's Chorus:5

"You should talk to her." I huffed. Here I was in a park with Claire, swinging, while she lectured me on the importance of communication. "It'll help heal those wounds."

"Claire I'm not some kid. I know I need to talk to her." Claire stopped swinging to stare at me with this incredulous look on her face.

"Then why-"

"Because I also know that we're not ready. Neither mom nor I am ready for that conversation." I broke the gaze. "We'd rather just pretend nothing's wrong and take cheap shots at each other until one of us cracks."

"But it's you and your mom. Neither of you will _ever_ crack." I only shrug at her observation.

"Guess we'll _never_ be ready for that conversation." She started to swing again. We watched some of the neighbors bring their kids to the park though no one ventured too close to the swing set. Figures. Don't want to risk your kid getting eaten by the child of the tribe harpy. "How's wedding planning coming?" I didn't really care. I had too much on my mind. Claire knew me well enough to know that.

"It's fine. You're still my maid of honor number one right?"

"Of course." I kicked at the wood chip and mulch mix at my feet wondering whose idea it was to cushion a kid's park in splinters.

"Have you heard from Leo or your dad?" I pulled myself from my wonderings at her question.

"They're both still MIA. Dad hasn't been heard in the pack mind for weeks. It's almost like he's…" I stopped myself. I knew Claire wouldn't like to hear my true thoughts. No one had ever been this quiet in our pack. We shared a pack mind 24-7. Which to any outsider would sound horrible but we adjusted quickly. It was easy to learn how to drown out others thoughts and to block one's own. It just took practice. Even so we still felt each other's presence. Dad couldn't be heard or felt.

The only logical answer was that he was dead.

"Leo is probably moping somewhere." Claire nodded though she looked suspicious. Sometimes I hated that I ever opened up to her. As my best friend it became incredibly easy for her to read me. I didn't like it when people could read me. It made me feel open and vulnerable. "Did you know?" It came out a little angrier than I intended but she should get the picture.

"Know what?"

"About my parents." She quickly looked away. Her hesitation said more than anything that was about to come out of her mouth.

"I was only like 6 when it happened. I don't remember much. I do remember when Uncle Sam would show up a lot. He'd always be angry about something. Quil usually kept me on lockdown. I never saw your parents much. I do remember the first bonfire your dad and aunt showed up-"

"You're evading the question." I interrupted her walk down memory lane. "Did you know that Tre raped Leah?"

"…yes."

"How long?" She bit her lip and I knew I wouldn't like this answer.

"I finally confronted Quil about it like three years ago, though I'd had my suspicions for about five or six years." My natural reaction was to clench my jaw preventing a series of anger filled words to sputter from my mouth.

"And you didn't tell me-"

"-Because you were too young." She stood up from the swing. "Emileah, believe it or not you're still only 16. Who knows how you would have responded, learning this as a child."

"Do I look like Sahara or Leo? I've had the mind of an adult for years and you know it. You-" I had to turn around and calm myself. No need to scare off the kids in the park. "You're my friend, you should have told me."

"It wasn't my place. And frankly there was no way I was going to go against Leah." That stopped me. The way she said that made me realize this wasn't just a normal Leah request.

"She put an alpha command on the pack to not tell us." Claire's head dropped. "She wasn't planning on telling me ever was she?"

"I'm sure she was going to tell you at some point just not this young."

"Don't give me that."

"Well, you're so smart you tell me when would be the right time to have that kind of conversation with your daughter." I didn't answer, a little stunned that she had just blown up at me. "Listen," her voice was calmer. "The point is that you know now so you need to sit-"

"Only because of Collin." That gave Claire pause. "The guy's a smart angry drunk."

"He found a way around the command." She murmured more to herself.

"What was the command?"

"Quil said it was that they weren't supposed to say Tre raped Leah. How did Collin-"

"He used the word forced. It wasn't too hard to figure out." Claire didn't respond at first. I watched through the slightly cloudy sky as the sun began to set.

"Well it seems Collin was the only one who had been trying to tell you about-"

"Don't start. I know you're just trying to force that imprint crap on me. That's _your_ happy ever after."

"And what's yours?" Life isn't a freaking fairy tale. Just because some of these cats seem like they came straight out of one. This is life. Not everyone is promised a happy ending. Some people have a horrid life then they die in a worse way. Or they live alone and die alone. Some people don't get a chance at life at all.

Then there are some who'll just live forever. And they'll have to fight forever.

"I don't get one." And with that I turned intending on walking away before the night rain came.

"Emileah wait." I did though I didn't turn back around. "I thought you should know that Jake and Ness are coming down and that I heard Tenia talking about meeting with your mom some time this week."

"Wha-" I stopped. That meant they were going to be meeting about the fetuses. And mom didn't tell me.

That's fine. Guess I'll just be crashing a party now won't I? "Thanks for the heads up." Claire nodded though I could tell she felt a little guilty.

_Dear Journal,_

_My dreams are going to be focused on how to destroy that meeting of the "alphas"._

_Tonight's gonna be a good night._

_Emileah_


	38. Emileah's Chorus:6

"…So I was thinking we could go out for ice cream or maybe catch a movie or something."

"I'm sorry," I shook my head a few times completely lost on the conversation until I heard that sentence. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

"Well…yeah I guess."

"How old are you Hunter?" I already knew, I just wanted to remind him that he was talking to someone older than he.

"Does it matter? I look 20 anyway." I just stared at him blankly. "I'm 15."

"You do know I have an imprinter right?" He started to shift uncomfortably on his feet.

"Yeah but you don't seem to like him so I figure-"

"No, that's not the point. Just making sure you know what you're getting yourself into by asking me out." A couple of scenarios popped into my head at that point. Most of them ended in Hunter getting pulverized to a pulp. "I'm pretty sure Collin killed my third boyfriend." Hunter laughed.

Aw how cute… he thinks I'm joking.

"No seriously he did. Though the pack is still sticking to the freak popsicle stick accident story." That gave him pause. "Listen I gotta go. Got a date with the alphas." Hunter's eyebrows scrunched together. I guess he's confused.

"There's an alpha meeting going on?"

"It's off the record. I invited myself."

"…oh." Still confused.

"You comin?" I already know he's going to decline.

"No, I'm good." He actually took a step back as he said it. Such a wimp. No wonder he became such good friends with Leo.

"Suit yourself." I got up off the step in the first floor of the Haven school. According to my sources i.e Claire and that little kitten girl who I bribed into listening in on my mother's conversations, the meeting between mom and the alpha pairs should have started about ten minutes ago. I of course have to arrive fashionably late, just in time for the juicy details to start coming out.

"-don't think that you have any right to endanger my children with your own!" That was definitely Tenia's voice. She sounds pretty angry about something.

"We all knew there were potential dangers when we agreed to this." Jacob countered.

"Your little monster offspring could kill my kid." Tenia argued back.

"We don't even know if those other two kids belong to you."

"Your kid is developing a lot faster than the other two. My children are human fetuses. Completely human. For all I know your little vampire could be in there sucking the life out of my childr-"

"Now hold on a minute Tenia-"

"Cool it Jake." Embry finally spoke up.

"Tell your _woman_ to cool it!"

"Just everybody shut up!" Mom sure does use that command a lot when things get out of hand. "Carlisle said that of the three fetuses he can clearly tell that the one farthest along in development is Jake and Ness's. He can't get a clear shot of the third one but the second seems to be developing at a slower rate, we can only assume it's human so it must be Embry's."

"Yes, yes we know all this."

"Shut it Tenia. Now, he also said that it doesn't look as if the vampiric sac is endangering the other two fetuses. "

"And how long will he be sure of that?" Tenia's shrill voice is getting on my nerves. "I don't like this one bit."

"You agreed to Leah's conditions." I'm beginning to think Tenia and Jacob don't like each other.

"Yes I know but they should have been altered. For one, you limited yourself to being pregnant for one year max."She must be talking to mom now. At least now I'm getting information. "That meant you were either going to have my baby or theirs. No one made any conditions on if you got pregnant with both."

"It was oversight on all our parts. We figured only one egg from the mixed bunch would actually attach if at all."

"Then we should have taken precaution."

"What precaution? Whose ever baby gets conceived first stays and we kill off any others?" Tenia fell silent at mom's suggestion. "I didn't think so."

"Okay well, lets talk about delivery."

"Don't you think that's a long way off-"

"Your vampire monster child is going to be fully developed in 4 to 6 months-"

"I've had about enough out of your mouth Ten-"

"Four to six months Jake!" Jacob and Tenia are starting to actually entertain me. "At that time my baby is going to just be through the second trimester if that. What's gonna happen then? Leah's going to go into flippin labor and my kid's gonna be underdeveloped."

"We don't know that for sure Tenia." I was wondering when Renesmee would finally add in her two cents.

"Is it or is it not true that you had to be chewed out of your mother's womb after a one month pregnancy?" Oh, shut down…wait a minute. Chewed out-

"Tenia-" As in out of the stomach-

"Answer me Renesmee!"

"It's true."

"You see. How do we know Leah won't deliver all three kids when Jake's kid is ready to be born-"

"You all are insane." I hadn't noticed when I started moving closer to the house or when I entered until the words slipped through my lips. "Do you even hear yourselves? You four are arguing over who's right without giving any concern to the fact that my mom could very well die in the process. Taking all that precious cargo down with her. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you selfish witches tried to cut the kids out before her heart stopped beating."

"Emileah-"

"I'm not done yet mom. And another thing, whose freaky idea was it to play Russian Roullet with your fertilized baby eggs?"

"Emileah-"

"And you, alpha trick," Tenia's satisfying gasp almost brought a smile to my lips. "How in the world did you think you could get off on threatening _my_ mother? What'd you do?"

"Emileah."

"Blackmail her? Or did you perfect your con artist skills in the past month and decided to put them to use-"

"Emileah!"

"What mother?" It's really annoying how she interrupted me while I was on a roll.

"As enlightening as this whole conversation is, I think you need to hold your tongue and give me a chance to explain." She stood up and had a hand supporting her rounding stomach. It was then that I noticed the various stages of shock that everyone else was in.

"Well explain because it's obvious that I don't get answers out of you unless I confront you."

"That's not true-"

"Isn't it?" I reached into my pocket and pulled out a ring. "Because this really looks like an engagement ring and I don't recall you having a beau." Mom's eyes widened considerably as she zeroed in on the jewelry held in my hand.

"Upstairs." It was a command but I refused to budge.

"Why? Don't want to out your secrets in front of your friends-"

"Upstairs. _Now_!" Everyone fell silent. I half expected someone childish to 'ooh' at me about getting chastised. Mom looked absolutely livid.

Good. Now she knows how I feel.

I went up the stairs silently with her following. I heard the four left in the living room exit the house just before she slammed the door to my room shut. "Do you wanna tell me what that little outburst was about?" Her arms crossed over her chest.

"I think you know mother."

"That's right I am your mother. _I'm_ the parent. _You're_ the child! That does not give you the right to go into my room and go through my stuff and confront me in front of guests."

"Well it's obvious that's the only way I get truth out of you, if I make a scene."

"Well you have me now. Lay it on me because frankly Emileah, you've been pulling away so much these few weeks that I don't know how you're feeling." I guess no time like the present.

"First thing's first," I paused to gauge her seriousness. "When were you going to tell me I was a rape baby?" She looked away. She had to be expecting this question. I suppose finally hearing it still caught her off guard.

"…I don't know. I guess I was hoping," she stopped and I inadvertently held my breath. "I guess I was hoping I would never have to tell you."

"You were hoping," is she kidding me, "you were hoping that you wouldn't have to _tell _me?" A hand reflexively rubbed across my face in agitation, in confusion, in annoyance, in disbelief. "Are you serious right now?"

"Most kids fear that they were an accident or unplanned pregnancy or the result of some one night stand. How do you think I felt knowing one day I'd have to tell you that your father, who I barely knew forced me down in the sand in the middle of the night because he was having self control issues-"

"I think that's more than-"

"No, Emileah!" She finally raised her voice at me. "You want to know so bad, you can know everything. You think you're an adult? Fine. Handle this like an adult. Your father raped me after knowing me a month. It was not entirely his fault. I've seen his memories, he was hardly in control of himself but it all comes down to the fact that you were born out of that horrible time in both our lives. That's why we stayed together, because of you!" It was strange receiving this information. It was…

Unfamiliar.

I had thought that finding out the truth would be freeing. Would be beneficial. It just hurt me more and more.

"Did you want to keep me?" I had to look her in the eyes for this question. Her unfailing gaze stared straight back at me. It was a power struggle. Where I was struggling to ask the question she equally struggled with giving me the answer.

"Not at first no." I looked away and felt foolish for being so weak. "But I came to realize that you were my blessing in disguise. I couldn't lose you."

You know those things you say that you instantly apologize for saying but inside you know you still meant them?

"You've already lost one child. I think you're working pretty well on losing another." I kept my gaze on her long enough to notice her fists clench then I walked away. She never called me back or tried to stop me from leaving the house. Though I can't say this was the end of the interrogations. I opened the front door intent on leaving but met my next obstacle.

"I think we should to talk."

Jacob Black.

* * *

**A/N: **so yeah this chapter continues in the next chapter but I'm not gonna post it just yet. I'll just let all these little tidbits marinade with you all first, lol Thanks for the reviews.


	39. Emileah's Chorus:7

I followed the overgrown man to the beach silently. I watched his carefree demeanor that was in deep contrast with the seriousness etched across his face. He was harboring whatever it was he wanted to talk to me about. We took a roundabout way to the shore. I just spent the time watching how regal Jacob was. He was handsome. He had a superior air to the way he carried himself. An alpha for sure, much more than Embry.

But he was an alpha gone to waste.

Then again I could just be blinded by my childhood crush on him. I frowned just as he peeked back at me. It must have set him on edge because his steps grew more determined and swift. We reached the beach in no time after that. He strolled oh so cavalierly to the edge of the shore and plopped to the ground. I followed and we sat side by side in the sand at First Beach. He just ran his hand repeatedly through the grains while I sat silent, stiff, and attentive; the sure signs of an alpha in training.

"I know where Leo is." While completely unexpected, I didn't let any emotion cross my face.

"He's with Clarice." I answered before he could say anymore. Jacob glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes.

"You knew?"

"Of course," It was simple really. It was the only logical place for him to go. "Where else would he go? Our pack didn't get very close to any of the shifter packs out there. Only close enough to complete our missions and move on." Jacob seemed to take some time to think this over.

"So you know of the _closeness_ he has with Clarice?" Well, now he just put me at a cross roads. I may be fed up with the kid right now but the way Jake formed his question made me think he was fishing which means that Leo isn't guarding his thoughts while in form. Specifically his thoughts about his woman crush. I'll have to work the mine field and find out how much Jacob knows.

"I would suspect he's about as close as any of us are to her." That should be a safe enough answer.

"He thinks he's in love with her."

Well…_that_ answers my question.

"…yes." It came out quick and without conviction.

"Emileah," Jacob sighed and I couldn't figure out what I'd said to aggravate him so, "he's already slept with her."

Come again?

Did he just say that buffoon slept with her?

Like intimate slept and not mommy-I'm- afraid-of-the-shadow-monsters-in-my-room-can-I-sleep-with-you slept with?

Okay Emileah, just keep your cool.

"He's a teenage boy what do you ex-that idiot!"Cool officially lost. "I can't believe he would do something so stupid! Actually no, I can believe it. He's such a liability! I-"And stop. Remember where you are and who you're talking to. "Why are we talking about this?"

"Because you just told your mom that she lost her son." I had enough sense to settle down and resume my seated position not having realized that I'd gotten up in the middle of my tantrum.

"She did. She pushed him away. She's pushing me away." My temper was gaining control again as my words rushed out more. "I still don't understand what this has to do with Leo's current shenanigans!" And I really didn't want him knowing so much incriminating information that could be relayed to my mother.

"Leah was trying to protect you. The both of you and I think you're both going about this whole question of her trustworthiness the wrong way."I assumed he wasn't done so I let him continue. "Emileah, the reason she was unsure about whether to keep you was because she was afraid of being a bad mother."

"And why do you know this?"

"Because I was one of the ones that told her she would be a great mother."

"So what? You want me to _thank_ you for in effect saving me before I was born?"

"No, I just want to make sure I wasn't lying to her." Gosh it's like trying to talk to dad, so understanding yet so full of guilt trippage. "So do you know why Leo hates me?"

"That's easy. You're the anti Sam."

"What?" I should really get paid for this psychoanalysis I'm about to lay down for him.

"All Leo has ever wanted was to be completely accepted by my mother. She's the one that raised him. He hates that he's Sam's son because he knows Sam broke mom. You were the one that replaced Sam. You became the alpha she chose, one that wasn't _forced_ upon her. You became her closest _friend_. You understood her. You're _alive_. He both despises your existence yet wants so wholeheartedly to be your son. To be yours and Leah's son."

"But Leah and I aren't-"

"It doesn't matter. Had there been a natural course of events, you would have ended up with my mother and had Jacob Black Jr. and little Leah Black." I mean how textbook can you get? Even if what I said hadn't happened, it was the principle of the thing. It was Leo's fantasy family. I could read my brother's mind but I could still read him. With every groan and mumble, every sentence that he spat out about being less than us, even the way he would move with that lack of confidence. Leo wanted Sam to be Jacob.

You know without the imprinting fiasco.

"And all this time I thought it was because he blamed me for his dad's death." This guy's just full of surprises.

"How so?"

"Well it was my call whether or not the Cullens would help at the panther battle. I'd said no. I didn't want them pulled into the fight. I spent years thinking back on the possibility that maybe Sam would have lived if we'd had their help." It made since that the blame could e placed on Jacob but I didn't even know that little detail so no doubt Leo didn't either.

"Sam wouldn't have made it either way."

"What makes you say that?" I didn't answer him. We had talked about Leo enough. It wasn't my place to share what could be Leo's deepest darkest secret.

Yes even darker than his love for a sixty year old woman.

"What about Tre? Why doesn't Leo hate him for being in essence the man in Leah's life?" I was tempted to ask why Jacob was being so sensitive about the subject. Boohoo Leo doesn't like you. Get over it "For wanting to be his son, your blood brother."

"Because even when we didn't know mom and da-Tre's history, we could still see that mom hadn't chosen him. They hadn't chosen each other. They were picked for each other." They gravitated towards each other, and they fit well together but something was missing or better yet something was locking them.

Now I knew the truth.

And I was the result of that truth.

And the only reason they were still together was because of me. "You represented that choice, that way out, the way Leah would have wanted, well the old you at least. But we make do. Thought it's very clear that mom dotes on Leo the most." Don't ask me why I chose to bring that kid back into the conversation.

"Why's that?"

"Because if she had a choice, between a lesser of two evils I know she would have picked Sam over my father any day."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." His admittance peaked my curiosity.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because people think imprinting is a forced form of love."Oh here we go. "I know from experience that it isn't. It's a pull and push. It highlights a person for you and at first it may seem like love because all you can see is how perfect they are for you or their good qualities, but you come to realize that at any point you can pull away. It'll hurt to deny it of course but the basis is that you come to love that person of your own accord. You choose how to feel. It's not easier to choose them over choosing your own, it's just… better. If I were to sum it up, I'd say imprinting is like finding your soul mate then spending what time you have trying to fit together completely." Am I the only that felt like they just stepped into a Lifetime movie with that one?

"Is this your imprint speech that Collin paid you to spit at me?"

"No, I haven't heard from Collin in a while. Last I heard he went into isolation." To live practically a country away, this guy sure does know a lot about what's happening on the Rez.

"Isolation?"

"He feels that he hurt you. He wants to free you from himself. He wants to see if he can sever the cord."

Then he laughs. How is that amusing?

"What's so funny?"

"He's gonna fail," Well someone has _a lot_ of faith in their old pack mate. "That man's so deeply in love with you it's insane. I knew he was gone when you saved his life and you were only two months old. The only one who would be able to break it is you." I'll have to add that to my list of things to look into but right now I need to work on getting the vamp slave off my back.

"The great Jacob Black has wizened up?"

"Maybe."

"Or maybe you've just spent too much time with the bloodsuckers?"

"Maybe a little bit of both if I'm perfectly honest," a hearty laugh bubbled out of his throat. "But I wouldn't change it."

His admission troubled me. What makes the vampires, the Cullens so important, Nessie in particular that he had to throw his life away for them? "Have you-" I paused trying to make sure this question came out correctly. "Have you ever regretted it?" He took in an audible breath. The inhale was slow, the exhale even slower. I peered out of the corner of my eyes as his shoulders rose and fell with the action.

"Your mother asked me that before." He had laughter in his voice though I don't think he was amused. "There were times when I would stand outside the Cullens' door when they were still in Forks and just stare at it. I loved Bells as my best friend, I loved taunting Rosalie, Edward grew on me. Emmett always reminded me of my pack brothers as well as Jasper on occasion. Then there's Alice, that girl is such a character. OF course Dr and Mrs Cullen were like second…or more like a third or fourth pair of parents to me but some days I would just want to grab Nessie and run back across the border, lock the Cullens out and live out my life with Ness on the Rez."

"So what always kept you going through the door?"

"Knowing that Ness would always need her family. Knowing that even though it felt like my life was being controlled by the needs of another, that I'd never feel complete if she wasn't happy anyway. " He stopped to look at me. "Realizing that even if I was separated from my family, I had new members of my family and my blood family my pack would always be there no matter how many rainy, cloudy countries I was away." Maybe I'm too selfish or self centered and couldn't see myself being gloriously and contently happy because another person is happy. It just sounds like a way to turn helpless girls into spoiled princesses. No fight or competition for a man. No risks. The guy is just tied down and all other cares are stripped away.

Then again they're in it for life. Complete and infallible loyalty. If normal humans could imprint it sure would cut down on the divorce rate. And the infidelity and abuse.

Maybe I'm asking for too much: the idea that imprinting wasn't so binding. If I truly could believe that Jake looked at Ness and simply saw her as a prime candidate for his attention and not just full throttle love instantaneously then maybe.

Don't let my internal ramblings fool you, I'm not into that love at first sight crap. It doesn't exist, it should exist. You ask me? It's lust at first sight. You can't love something you don't know. Not humans, vampires or shape shifters. But imprinting, if that really was just a door down a road where you learn to fall in love with the other person. Where you make the initial bond and then grow together and learn about each other and like each other and God forbid go through that awkward first date phase then fall in true incomprehensible love.

Then and only then would I possibly give imprinting a chance. Maybe.

Truthfully I didn't like most of his answer but I could respect him for his honesty.

"So…how's Bella?" His left eyebrow rose.

"Do you even care?"

"No."

"Thought so." He got to his feet and held a hand down to me. "I'll walk you back home." I accepted and he pulled me to my feet.

"You're gonna try and make me talk to her aren't you?" I knew he'd know I was talking about mom.

"Of course, plus I'll be paying back a favor from when she forced me to see the light and do a similar thing."

"What was it?"

"She made me and Embry talk to dad." It took me a moment to realize what he was referring to.

"Bet that sucked."

"You have no idea." We reached the house and Jacob stopped walking. "Here you are milady." I just shook my head in amusement. I turned to head up the walk but stopped when a thought hit me.

"Why do you think Leo ended up in your pack and not ours?"

"We don't think it's anything deep and meaningful behind it. Renesmee said that Leo had been standing exactly 23.4 feet away from me while he was standing 35.2 feet away from your parents when he phased." Ah, so he was physically closer to Jacob. "Then again, maybe he doesn't hate me as much as he thinks he does."

"Or maybe you're just really lonely in that empty pack-mind you have and you subconsciously pulled him into your pack." He laughed heartily. Guess the guy can laugh at himself. He should totally host SNL. "Guess I'll head on in now."

"Before you go, I need to ask you one more thing." I paused and waited for him to ask his question. "Do you hate me too?" It was a tough question. I caught onto the double meaning. He was asking if I shared Leo's views. Did I hate that Tre was my father? I mean, I couldn't truly hate him could I? Sure he had that one bad thing on his record but he was, if I was being honest the easier parent to deal with. I was closer to him than Leah no doubt. He was the good dad, the family man, the protective alpha.

Yet he still raped my mother.

But it wasn't his fault, not completely.

I looked to the ground still having not given Jacob an answer to his question. It was like bringing home a report card with straight A's except the one class you got a F in. No matter how many As, the parents can only focus on the fact that you failed a class.

Not that I had such an experience since I never let myself fail.

"Do you hate your father for cheating on your mother?" It came out as a challenge. Other guys would have blown up at me but Jake just smirked and shook his head in an amused fashion.

"Good night little Leah."

_Dear Journal,_

_Jacob Black smells like lemon lollipops and grass. He's such a sellout it's not even funny._

_Unfortunately I'm beginning to like him more…even if he is a Nosey Nellie._

_Emileah_

**A/N: **so classes started up again...back to slow updates *sigh* This chapter was written then it caused me a bit of trouble and i kept changing it so I'm just gonna post before I screw it all up. And yes i know it probably gave you more questions but it will be answered...relatively soon...hopefully :)


	40. Emileah's Chorus:8

"Up and at 'em!" I jolted awake when the fluorescents flooded my eyelids. Never mind my mother's annoying voice. "You've got patrol."

"Are you serious mom?" Though it didn't come out as angry as I intended. More of a whine.

"Very." She went to the window and opened the curtains with an exaggerated force. There wasn't even enough sunlight to overpower the lights. "Huh. Always wanted to do that. Your Nana Sue would always do that to me at like 6am to make me get up for school." Then she crossed her arms with a satisfied look on her face.

"I'm glad you've accomplished a life goal." My feet touched the wood floor and I instantly thought about how Leo would complain every morning about his feet being cold no matter where he woke, bed, hammock, or sleeping bag. Took that boy 13 years to figure out he should just wear socks to bed. And only like 3 years later he's bedding a married woman, how insane is that? "Who am I patrolling with?"

"Hunter and Brady." I let my head fall back in agitation. I got enough of having run-ins with Hunter every other day. Now I get to spend six hours listening to Brady cry about missing Sahara and watching Hunter making a fool of himself.

Actually that last part might be entertaining.

I felt the bed shift and looked up to see mom sitting on the edge of my bed with this weird look on her face. And by weird I mean, she had this extremely motherly look of concern and pride on her face. I must admit I felt a little uncomfortable.

"Mom?" Then her hand landed on top of mine and I fought back the urge to look around for a hidden camera.

"When you get back from patrol, I was hoping we could talk." She held my gaze through the short silence.

"Yeah, sure." For a split moment this look of shock crossed her face as if she expected me to decline. Hey, I'm prone to the occasional good surprise.

"Great. Well get ready for patrol, I'm gonna go have some peanut butter cup ice cream and tomatoes. You want some breakfast before you leave for patrol?" I thought about that extremely gross combination.

"About that…I usually don't like to be puking while trying to fend off vampires." She rolled her eyes. Hard. I was little concerned they would get stuck in the back of her head.

"I can make you some eggs and sausage." Sweet. I love sausage.

"Well if it isn't too much trouble-"

"Oh shut up Emileah." She laughed as she waddled back down to the kitchen. I laughed as well until she disappeared out of view when my smile promptly fell.

Something was up. Either she was buttering me up for that talk we were gonna have later or she's just really bored being pregnant and her mommy senses are in overdrive. I'll just have to get through breakfast without letting her know that I'm suspicious.

Though it probably doesn't help that she can sense how I felt after that talk with Jacob even if I'm leaving it as feelings and not complete thoughts. Wouldn't want her finding out all the details about Leo.

Gosh, that kid owes me for all the times I have to watch his back.

_I called Sahara today. _And it starts._ On the phone. _Mental sigh…

_Didn't you do that yesterday?_

_Yeah but it was a full 24 hours ago. _I chose to not comment on the addendum in his mind that said exactly 23 hours 57 minutes and 4 seconds since they had hung up with each other. Pathetic.

Although I wonder if it's as pathetic as the fact that Hunter almost tripped over his own feet just now.

_Hasn't that kid been a wolf for months now? You'd think he would be used to running on four legs-_

_Nope. Still as clumsy as a newborn pup._ I increased my jogging pace to catch up to his sprint. As I was running right next to him now he tilted his head slightly to look at me. _Hey watch this, Brady. _I swiped a paw under Hunter's legs and watched with satisfaction as he completely wiped out.

_Ha! That was hilarious!_ Hunter jumped back up and growled. _Oh look the pup seems mad. Ha! _Hunter snapped at me but I snapped back. _Okay okay, break it up kiddies. Gosh, that was funny though. When Collin comes back I'll have to tell him about messing with Hunter. _I didn't respond as I backed away from a sulking Hunter but I'm sure Brady could pick up all my curiosity. _He's fine._

_Did I say I cared?_

_I can tell that you do on some level. _He replied indicating the aforementioned curiosity. _He's at the old Cullen mansion. _Don't ask for details. Don't ask for details.

_What's he doing there? _Gah, I'm such an idiot. Why did I ask? _I mean that's a pretty stupid place to go if he's in isolation. _Brady stopped running to stare at me.

Idiocy must be contagious. Why did my brain keep running? I usually have such great control over this.

_Who told you he was in isolation? _I intentionally skewed the mental image of my source. _I can still tell that's Jake. He's the only dude who wears his hair that long anymore. _Seriously did my brain waves go on vacation? _I can't believe he told you. What else did he tell you? _And before a beat passed I was face first on the ground back in human form. My brain was obviously screwed up right now. I could not risk letting anyone else in on what happened in the rest of that conversation with Jacob. It was considerably easier to block Brady while in human form. I threw on my sports bra quickly, intending on getting far away but lucky Brady was a male so all he had to do was phase back and already be in his phasing pants.

"Emileah wait." He grabbed my arm before I could slip away. "It's just that he didn't want you to know but since Jake let the cat out I guess…" he looked down already feeling guilty about what he was going to tell me. "He went there because he figures he can become enlightened if he goes back to where it began." I yanked my arm out of Brady's grasp but made it clear that I wanted him to continue. "He's hoping he can release you somehow. What happened in Alaska was…let's just say when he burned that alcohol out of his system his hangover caused the least of his headaches."

"Don't bother making an apology on his behalf-"

"I'm not. He's in a tough place right now and as much as I want to support him, I don't have the heart to tell him I don't think he can do it." I didn't respond for a long time. I could hear Hunter moving around some distance from us, probably watching, confused as to why we're neglecting patrols right now.

"He thinks that by going to the place where he imprinted on me, where I saved his life is going to give him insight into breaking the bond." I stated in needless clarification. Truth was I thought the idea was stupid. So did Brady. And Jacob. I had a strong urge to tell Brady to man up and tell his friend that what he was doing was a waste of his life. Then another urge came to let him waste his time trying to break the imprint, less heartache for me. Then the last few words I'd said to Leo came back to me.

And I remembered how he ran.

I didn't believe he could deny the imprint. I still don't. But he ran and that's the only thing that matters.

Collin and Brady were joined at the hip, you split those two and- "Yeah maybe you should keep that thought to yourself. I mean, Collin gets enough junk from me don't you think?" I turned away intending on taking some time to clear my head. I ignored, Brady's look of complete surprise. "Oh and tell him if he wants to go where it really all began, tell him to try the beach. It'll show him that you really do support him as a friend." Maybe I'll blame it on the fact that Jacob said Collin was trying to free me from him and Brady said that he was trying to release me. The fact that he is doing this for me and not himself, no matter how misguided it is, may have softened me a little.

_Dear Journal,_

_Some days I wish I were born a boy, so that I wouldn't succumb to these girly emotions of compassion and stuff so often. Then I think about how girly some of these guys are I'm surrounded by and I take my wish back._

_Emileah_

**A/N: **Sooooooo I'm tryin not to lose my sight for this fic. I think my twi-high may be finally coming to a close *cries*. I have yet to write some of my exciting scenes for this fic so I'll hold on til then promise! On the plus I think I have an ending finally (haha) for the story so it's actually going somewhere. Thanks for the reviews guys!


	41. Emileah's Chorus:9

What is wrong with me? I left patrols to go write in my journal by a stream in the woods. I didn't even wait until it was nighttime and I just happened see the journal sitting on that nightstand.

I just lost points with myself.

Slamming the journal closed after its latest entry I stormed off to the Rez. I still had another hour left before my patrol was up so I avoided the house. Wouldn't want mom scolding me again.

Then I had a sudden craving for chocolate.

I headed off to Hunter and Solomon's parents' store. Surprise surprise, Wilson was working. I'm really getting sick of running into this guy. Oh good, he looks scared. We make eye contact and I smile sweetly as I notice another guy standing close to the counter. After finding my chocolate I head up to the counter to pay. Wilson's friend seems reluctant to move out of my way.

"I'm not looking for trouble Emileah. I'm working." Wilson said in a lame attempt at being serious.

"So you learned my name. How beneficial…for you." I sneered and held back my laugh when he scowled.

"So you're the terrifying Emileah?" I turned to look at the other boy. He was leaning casually against the counter, studying me. I returned the favor and studied him as well. Nothing special though I felt I'd seen him before.

"Have we crossed paths?" I asked knowing that I didn't_ know_ him but had _met_ him before.

"I'm Stacey." Then it clicked. Even after seeing the boy up close before and arguing against him at the pack vs Rogue meeting, it still tickled me that the boy's name was Stacey.

"Sounds like your parents didn't expect you to grow up to be a manly man." Wilson slapped a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter.

"Just so you know, Stacey is a very acceptable male name."

"Right…" I drawled as I fished around in my pockets for money. I liked it better when Hunter's parents were working the store. They wouldn't make me pay. "Why are you talking to me again?"

"As much as it pains me, I actually had a question." Interesting.

"Shoot." I said still a little flustered that my ultra thin wallet was eluding me. Seriously the thing is like the thickness of a credit card. It just screams poverty; I need to get paid more.

"I was wondering if you hear from Leo anymore. People haven't seen him on the Rez in a while and-"

"No I haven't."Got you, wallet! "Why do you ask?"

"Well my girlfr-ex girl friend, Tracey, has been gone for months. No one has heard from her and her parents think she may have run a way but the only place I could think she would go is Makah. I have contacts in Makah and they haven't seen her around so I was wondering if Leo has been in touch with her."

"Well like I said," I handed Wilson the money. "I haven't heard from him. Maybe she just wanted to get away from you two dweebs and they've run off together." I shrugged while the two boys looked insulted.

"Or maybe Leo finally came to his senses and decided to get away from you and your psychotic family of child molesters!"

You see, there was a series of events that followed that sentence in close succession that saved Wilson. One the doorbell clanked signaling that another customer was entering the store, that customer just so happened to be Claire. Claire immediately called my name upon entering and ran to grab me and pull me away from the counter.

So you see, Wilson should thank Claire for saving his life because I was _that_ close to choking the life out of him and framing Stacey.

"C'mon, Emileah. Get your chocolate so we can get out of here." She tugged on my arm knowing that we weren't moving unless I wanted to.

Luckily I was too tired to think about how to go about murdering Wilson so I let myself be led away, though I did manage to steal a pack of gum on my way out.

"How'd you know I was in there?" She shrugged.

"Call it a hunch." When we got about half a block away from the store I realized that Claire was still pulling me along. "Your mother has called a meeting. She sent me to come get you."

"A meeting about what?" Claire didn't answer outside of a light shrug. When we got to the house I was surprised to see most of the imprints here. "What's with the party?" All eyes snapped up to me as Claire and I entered the house. One of the ladies, ex city girl that I'm pretty sure was Detrick's imprint decided to answer.

"I dunno. Your ma says she wanted to see us so we're here. " And with that Boston accent I'm positive that's Detrick's imprint. If the bald head and large hoop earrings didn't give it away. I didn't know much about the chick, I just knew that she wasn't always bald. She shaved her head because she said some crap about Detrick's hair being super fluffy and more beautiful than hers.

It's no wonder her and Tenia became fast friends. Vanity queens.

"Thanks for nothing." I mumbled loud enough for her to hear. I mean, what's there to hide, it's not like she'll do anything to me. Mom finally came into the room where we all were, escorted by Nana Sue.

"I called you all here because everything needs to be out in the open. But first," Mom locked eyes with me. "I need to talk to my daughter in private." Only Nana Sue, Kim, Rachel, and Tenia seemed to understand the under lying tone in mom's voice. She walked slowly over to me and nudged me back out the front door. When we were almost to the street I turned to her.

"What's with the meeting of the helpless baby makers in there?" She rolled her eyes and hit me upside the head.

"I called them because there's a lot of stuff that needs to get out. Stuff they need to know. And even more that you need to know."

"So what? Now that I know about the rape, I finally get to know all the top secret crap you've been keeping from me all these years?"

"For crying out loud Emileah, perhaps I made a mistake. I admit it. But I am not going to apologize for trying to keep you happy. You're not even of age yet, telling you when you were five that you were a product of rape could have been detrimental in more ways than one."

"Yeah and finding out that most of the population of the Earth doesn't turn into a ferocious beast isn't?" She ran a hand through her hair.

"Can we please move past this?"I didn't answer which must have been good enough for her. "What I'm about to tell you is time sensitive. And-" she paused and looked away for a moment. "And besides me, you're the only one who knows about it. Well your father may have an inkling but he doesn't know the extent-"

"Wait." I held up a hand as I rifled around in my pocket. I found the engagement ring and pulled it out. "I want to know what this is first." She sighed, a little aggravated that I'd interrupted her but I had a lot of questions and needed to get as many out as possible before I forgot.

"I was going to give it to Leo."

So let's just pause and rewind right now. The first thing that went through my mind was okay so my mom is going give an engagement ring to Leo who is practically my brother and in essence her son.

Am I missing something?

"Usually it's the guy who proposes and I didn't think you'd be into that freaky incest stuff-"

"The ring was already given to me," she paused and glanced around, "from Sam."

…

"You _kept_ the ring Sam gave to you before he broke up-"

"He didn't propose to me before he imprinted. He was going to but," She looked down at the ground and shook her head. "Anyway, he proposed to me the night you were born."I may very well be more disgusted by this truth than I am by the thought of mom proposing to Leo. "Actually my water broke just after he did." Score. Even before I was born I knew a bad deal when I saw one.

"Good thing I interrupted that huh?" Mom looked at me with a stern expression.

"Yes well as you can see, I turned him down."

"So you chose dad?" I watched her face harden. I must have hit a nerve with that one.

"No, I chose to not be Sam's second best."

"I guess it was about time you grew up." My face stung a second after the words left my lips. It wasn't the pain that left me in shock for a few moments, it was the action that had just transpired."You slapped me?"

"I'm about sick of your mouth Emileah. I'm your mother and I've raised you to respect your elders. What gives you the right to tell me I need to grow up?" She got in my face but I was still in shock that she had just slapped me. That she even had the guts to do it.

Finally, we're getting somewhere.

I had enough sense to look sheepish. "You're right, you're right. I was wrong." I wasn't apologetic at all. But I finally knew how to tap into my mom's weak points. "So about the ring."

"I was going to give it to Leo since he doesn't have much to remind him of Sam." For some reason, that didn't sit right with me.

"And what? Have him sport it like Frodo? Mom, don't give that to Leo." She looked suspicious of my motives.

"And why not?"

"Trust me mom, Leo won't want that ring."

"It's his father's-"

"Leo hates Sam." There I said it. It was out in the open. I mean, we were sharing secrets right. Granted mine, wasn't actually my own secret but mom needed to know. She had been in the dark for too long.

"Leo can't hate Sam. He doesn't even know him."

"Case and point." She took a physical step back from me. Obviously this revelation was having a more profound effect than I originally intended. "The only men Leo has ever seriously considered his father were dad and Uncle Seth." She threaded her fingers through her hair and puffed out some air with this look of utter turmoil on her face.

"He doesn't- but I didn't- did he overhear something-"

"Mom, listen to me. He thinks of you as his mother. He's very…protective of you. Loyal. Sam hurt you. He hates Sam as much as I hate him. When he found out about the rape-"

"-He thought he couldn't trust Tre anymore. He hates him now doesn't he? That's why he ran." I didn't answer and just looked away. I was having my own struggle with whether or not I should let her in on the other reasons Leo ran. "Gosh what am I saying? He probably hates both of us and he didn't even give us a chance to explain." She groaned then suddenly her head snapped back up in realization. "We have to find him. He can't be left alone thinking that we-"

"I already know where he is."

"So he did tell to you before he left."

"No, he didn't tell me where he was going. I don't think he wanted any of us to follow but he didn't factor in the pack mind thing with Jacob-"

"Jake knew?!" Uh oh. "That leech lovin blubber butt knew where my son was all this time and he didn't tell me-" by this time she'd already pulled out her cell and was no doubt dialing Jake. I decided to stop her before this got anymore out of hand.

"Okay, Mom, wait."I grabbed the phone from her."Leo is pretty predictable. I assumed where he went." Can't believe I'm covering for that waste of an alpha.

"Which is?"

"He's with Clarice." I kept my voice very even while I said this. I could only hope she left it there.

"I guess that's reasonable." I almost blew out the breath I'd been holding until mom looked at me questioningly. "Why do you suddenly feel so relieved?"

I've never hated anything more than this stupid 24-7 pack mind than I do right now.

"Emileah." Don't command me. Don't command me. Don't command- "What aren't you telling me?"

"Leo's in love with Clarice." King of Craps on that alpha timbre.

"Leo's what?!" And she blew up again. I glanced over and saw that the people inside the house had moved to the windows to see what was going on. "My old age must have been catching up to me and I misunderstood what you said. Did you just say that Leo is in love with Tre's ex?"

Oh this is getting too soap opera-y for me.

I could see the talk show topic already: 'Is the son of my ex, my baby daddy?' Results after the break…

"I'm calling that woman up right now-" How did she even get her phone back?

"Mom, give me that!" I snatched it back. "You're getting too worked up over this. You're preggers and it's obvious that stressful situations cause you to go into labor early so," I slipped the phone into my back pocket. "You're gonna tell me what you originally brought me out here for." She squinted her eyes in confusion. When it came to her she reached around in her pocket and for a minute I thought maybe it was my turn to receive an engagement ring that my dad may have given her and she turned him down as well. Instead she pulled out a key.

…whoopee.

"Go to the Haven house, in the room that used to be the old nursery there is a rug nailed to the floor. Pull the rug up and you'll know what to do." She whispered it so low that no one in the house would be able to hear even if they tried. I took the key.

"What's this all about?" I twirled the small object around in my hand.

"Turns out Sam knew a lot more than he was letting on."

Sam.

Scratch my other thought. I've never hated anyone more than I hate that man.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay so as an apology for not responding to reviews in the last couple weeks, I'm updating a lot. Also fyi, Detrick who got mentioned up there is actually Fluffy Hair kid...you remember him, Seth and Quil's "buddy" from Til Imprint. Oh you don't remember him? Oh... that's cool. lol anyway yeah, decided he needed a real name.


	42. Emileah's Chorus:10

_Dear Leah,_

_If you found this it means that my time has come. That I'm gone and that you denied me. Emily's death really took its toll, even I can see that. I have never felt so lost and confused. But when I see your face I know that there is still something I have to do. Here is my collection. tT is a collection for you. It will explain itself in due time. I'm sorry for keeping this from you but I'm not perfect, I have my vices. I had planned on presenting it to you as a wedding present but it would appear that things don't always go my way. Emily warned me. She said that if I asked you, you would deny me. I didn't want to believe her. If I gave up then it would be no different than last time. I had to try. _

_Sam_

I bit back the urge to crumple the paper. Once I moved through the small cellar hidden under the nursery I soon discovered boxes upon boxes of paintings, relics, books that looked ancient. When I discovered what the boxes held I had a renewed vigor to torch the letter.

"This is so messed up." He had drawn most of the paintings. There were written out detailed explanations of dreams he'd had for the months following Emily's death. There were books you could only admire because of their age, the pages yellow and fragile. There were poems and cited quotes. Word for word conversations. I couldn't read half of the things, they were written in a tongue I could only guess to be the native tongue of the Quileutes, but what just got me that most of it was in Sam's own writing.

"What is this?" I screamed as soon as I got back into Nana Sue's house. Leah was still there, with Kim, Rachel, Tenia, and a few of the other imprints. Tenia was staring at me wide eyed, and immediately stood when I entered. "Mother what cruel joke is this?"

"I think it explains the stuff we don't know about this shifting deal. I think it explains imprinting in greater detail. The stuff we thought was lost."

"How did _he_ get it? Why didn't he tell you?" I shot out my questions out of anger.

"I don't know, but I've never been more pissed off with Sam before in my life." I nodded in agreement.

"You can say that again." I flopped down into the seat that Tenia had vacated. "How are we gonna translate it?"

"The only person who may even know how to read it is Old Quil."

"Quil's been forgetting some things though." Kim supplied. "He probably hasn't read it in years. Who knows if he can remember-"

"I can get it." The conclusion came out verbally as soon as I processed it. The room was suddenly looking at me, waiting for my explanation. "My healing power, it's not really a healing power as much as it is an intimate communion with the animal side of a shape shifter." They still stared at me blankly. "You know how father can absorb things mentally, but it's random. I can do the same thing but I can concentrate my focus." Sometimes I think the people I associate with are slow. "If the knowledge about the language is in Quil's mind, I can find it and get it."

"Quil's not a shape shifter." I recognized that voice. It belonged to the girlfriend of one of Collin's friends whom he beat up after the dude yelled at me for denying him.

"Actually he used to be. It's why he's so old." Mom explained to the woman. She then turned to me. "But he obviously hasn't phased in decades. How do you expect to communicate with his wolf-" I held up my hand.

"Don't worry. His wolf is simply sleeping. All I have to do is awaken it and get the information out."

"That sounds simple enough." Kim said sounding a little unsure.

"Are you sure you can do that? I didn't know you were that powerful." Rachel said with what I could only identify as a hint of skepticism.

"Don't worry. I've been working at perfecting my powers for a while now."

"That's not the main worry." Mom said as she stared me down. "The worry is will waking Old Quil's wolf be dangerous for _him_." This silenced everyone. I continued to stare at mother. She was obviously doubting me. I don't take kindly to people underestimating me. "Have you actually perfected this power and do you know the consequence of your actions? Do you have proof that it won't hurt Old Quil?" Especially when my own mother doesn't have faith in me.

"I got this mom." She only shook her head. I had saved Collin from death, I could get a few measily symbols out of Old Quil's memory bank.

"Emileah. What a pleasant surprise!" Old Quil welcomed me into his home, although I was already seated before he could hobble to his own chair. "What brings you by an old geezers house like mine?" I smiled it was fake but old people love it when you smile at them.

"I was hoping you could shed some light on the history of our great tribe."

"Of course m'dear. What would you like to know?" He asked sitting forward a little in his chair. I placed a finger on my chin as I pretended to think on what I wanted to ask him although I knew exactly what I wanted to know.

"The language." I mimicked his position in the chair. "The written language." Old Quil sat back intrigued.

" I haven't seen it in…I don't know how long. Most of the old records were told orally. I may remember a few things here or there. Did you come across some of the old language m'dear?" I smiled, this one was a little more genuine albeit it was probably a little more smirkish as well.

"Actually I have." I pulled one of the rolled up paintings from my bag. It was dated by Sam about 2 months after Leo was born. It had a lone female figure standing on a hillside staring up at the moon and midnight sky. It was simple with only a line of words and symbols across the dark blue that was the sky. "I'm not sure about the caption on this picture." I handed it to Old Quil. He grabbed it gingerly, inspecting the painting in awe.

"Where did you find this?" He asked, looking up at me. I shrugged.

"I have my ways." Old Quil accepted the answer and continued inspecting the picture. I stared at him, wanting to see the extent of his knowledge.

"I recognize some of these,"he said pointing to some of the symbols on the page with one hand and scratching his head with the other, "I just can't seem to-" He never finished as I pounced. I knew full well that if I summoned his wolf to the forefront, that it had an infallible memory and I could bring forth his knowledge of the language.

"You know Old Quil, the brain is a magnificent organ. Even though you may not have the key to some of the things locked up in that safe of yours, I know how to pick that lock."His only response were groans of surprise, I saw his old wrinkled hands shake as he tried to reach and pry me off. Good luck with that old man. "You may not recall the language but I can just as well find where it's hidden out of your reach." I was howling mid way through. The words transforming into howls and murmurs and whispers and growls. Noises that carried as easily from my human throat as it did from my wolf one. I grasped onto Old Quil's head, I could tell he was surprised by my actions although he put up little resistance. He had nothing to worry about. Images suddenly burst into my own mind as I ruffled through his. Memories, some more intimate than others. I was granted flashes of the old pack, the one that contained Ephraim and Levi. Old Quil was young then. Very young.

He slipped a hand onto my wrist but I didn't pull away. I had to dig further. I found the symbols he was recalling. Then I hit the mother-load. It would take a little extra concentration. I was careful to control how tightly I latched onto Quil's head not wanting to crush his skull in my frantic search. I found it. Old Quil's eyes went wide. I began summoning the words, symbols, and language of the old Quileuete times.

"Stop, Emileah." The voice was weak but urgent and it actually forced me out of Quil's mind. I realized that it wasn't Quil though.

"Dad?" I received no answer and was rewarded with Quil slumping forward into my arms. "Old Quil?" He didn't respond, just shallow breathing. More like panting. I called him again to be met with the same response. Something was wrong. I panicked which caused me to momentarily discard my stubbornness. "Somebody help!"

* * *

**A/N: **I may or may not have made up that stuff about Old Quil being a wolf way back, I cant remember. If I did...well let's just run with it lol.


	43. Emileah's Chorus:11

"Where is she?" I jumped, startled at the yelling male voice. "I'll kill her!" It would have been comical if that specific _her_ wasn't myself.

"Baby just take a few breaths." That was definitely Claire's voice, which meant Quil was coming for me. He was enraged, and it was my fault. Mother was standing near me, she instinctively grabbed for my hand, probably in an effort to protect me from Quil even though she had already given me a lecture about my irresponsible and childish, dangerous behavior. I knew Quil wouldn't be so forgiving, I'd just put his grandfather in the hospital. I knew that Claire would be torn, probably between joining Quil in hating me and trying to keep him from ripping me to pieces. Not that he actually could.

The waiting room doors burst open a few feet away. Quil paused in his shaking to peer around, the other pack members that had arrived were instantly on their feet while mother positioned herself between me and Quil.

"You!" He zoned in on me and pointed. His larger frame stormed forward but he paused again as he realized mother wasn't moving out of the way. "Move Leah!"

"You need to calm down Quil." She said in her even alpha tone. "You don't want to do something you'll regret."

"I won't regret this."

"I'll handle my daughter Quil." He unexpectedly laughed. It was a cold bitter laugh that I have expected to come from my mother and not from him.

"You'll _handle_ it. _You'll_ handle it?" That laugh came out again. "You prance around here like you're some all seeing ruler but you can't even control your daughter." He turned to face the room. "None of them can. No one knows how to raise their kids in this little group. They're all just a bunch of brats." He turned back to mother. "Your little demon child is even more bitter and sadistic than you were in the good ole days." The way he sneered good ole days made me rise to my feet. "You're gonna do as a good a job raising your kid as _Bella_ did with Renes-her-face. A shame that Sam's kid had to be tainted by your wonderful skills as well." I was surprised really that mother had let him finish his speech before she slapped him. He just huffed before facing her again.

"You finished?"She asked as if she wasn't affected by his little outburst. He didn't respond besides growling lowly. "Good then, maybe you'll want to visit your grandfather, he's been asking for you."

"What room?" He growled out.

"233." She answered and he instantly left pulling Claire along with him. She threw a glance in my direction but I couldn't read any emotion. When the duo had left, mother breathed out and the pack took their seats again. Besides the numerous disgusted looks thrown my way I was relatively left alone. Mother never left my side though I could tell she was just as angry if not more with me as the others. Hunter was the last to arrive, coming a few minutes after Embry and Tenia arrived. He noticed the tension around the room, seeing the obvious divide between mom and I and the rest of the pack. He obviously hadn't been filled in on the details since he asked if I wanted to go with him to the cafeteria to get coffee for everyone. I was about to agree if only to escape the tension for a few moments but mother stopped me. "What did I say?" I sighed.

"I can't leave this room until Old Quil is discharged." I grumbled. A few of the pack members raised their heads to look at me when I spoke having not heard my punishment that had been issued long before anyone else had arrived. Hunter frowned still not understanding what had happened.

"Would you like me to bring you back something?" He glanced up quickly at mother to see if he would be reprimanded for coming up with another offer. He wasn't so he looked back at me.

"Caffeinated. Black," was all I said. Hunter nodded once and was out of the room in a second. I smiled a little thinking how Leo or Sahara would do something like that for me.

If they were here.

Mother's cell rang and I knew after the first few words that Uncle Seth was on the other end. The receptionist cleared her throat loudly in my mother's direction. Mother only glared back at her until the woman pointed to the sign on the wall above her head that read: No Cell Phone use.

"You'll need to step outside the building." The receptionist said. Mother rolled her eyes and with one long glance at me, stepped outside. I sighed. I wasn't afraid of the pack but I knew they were all waiting to get me alone so that they could drill into me. It was a long time coming. I was stronger, faster, I had more ability and was a natural at everything shape shifter. Not to mention I was much younger and a female. They had been at this game much longer than I had been alive yet I could beat them. They were jealous and were waiting for me to fail, no matter how much they preached about us being an extended family.

All they saw me as was some halfling Quileute girl who was breaking their brother, Collin's heart. And now I was destroying the Quils.

"What were you_ thinking_ Emileah?"

"Are you insane?"

"If Old Quil dies, you could be charged with murder. Murdering another wolf is punishable by-"

"Shut up guys." Embry said. "She made a grave mistake and I'm sure she feels horrible about it." There was something wrong about Embry taking up for me. I knew it was only because he didn't want to get on my mother's bad side, what with he and Tenia wanting to use mother as a surrogate for their little alpha cub. Not to mention I didn't feel much at all.

I wasn't remorseful. I only regretted that Old Quil was too weak to handle my infiltration. I got what I needed. I looked at the facts. Old Quil was just that, old. If he died, at least he led a life longer than most people. They'd get over it in a few days after the funeral and I would have plenty of information to share. Their curiosity would be too great for them to deny me some respect. They all needed to mature.

At least I learned something from mother. _"It gets kinda weird talking to you mom, when you only look a few years older than me." I had asked her a little over a week after Billy's funeral._

"_So now you gonna stop calling me mom because I look too young?" She joked. I shook my head._

"_No, I'll just have to get used to it," I shrugged," you're gonna be here forever anyway." Something in what I said made her pause. I turned to look at her when she frowned._

"_Emileah I'm," she hesitated, "I'm going to start aging again one day." I blinked a few times, letting the sentence sink in. "People aren't meant to live forever."_

"_So what," I could feel my temper rising, "you're just gonna give up your wolf and die! You're just gonna leave me here alone?!"_

"_Emileah, you'll have Sahara, and Leo-"_

"_No! When Leo phases he's gonna be a wolf, just like you. He can give up his wolf too and die! I can't! I can give up my panther! I can't give up my wolf!" I was yelling and it was a good thing we weren't in public. Mom had been trying to coax me but I wouldn't have it. "I can't die unless someone kills me." Mom had grabbed me and pulled me towards her. I knew all along that they could stop phasing I just never had accepted that they would ever do it._

"_There are camps for pure shifters. You can go there when the time comes but don't worry about that now. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon." Her voice was uncharacteristically soft but I couldn't stop the sheer anger coming from me. I pounded her back over and over again in a fit of rage as she hugged me to her body. I didn't hear her. It didn't matter how long it would be before she decided she wanted to be mortal again. It was just the fact that she already decided she was going to. _I frowned as I adjusted in the uncomfortable waiting room chair. I couldn't stand the silence and my recent memory left me frustrated. I pulled the journal from under me since I'd been sitting on it.

_Dear Journal,_

_People grow old and die. Get over it._

_Emileah_

**A/N: **chap recap: the unleashing of an angry/upset quil and Emileah's first full blown flashback. dun dun dun! tell me how ya feelin


	44. Emileah's Chorus:12

Old Quil was comatose and would be staying at Forks hospital until anything changed. Although it wasn't Solomon's unit, he made sure to keep tabs on the Elder's care. Members of the pack and the tribe went to visit him every day, though the latter group wasn't given many details. Right now they were led to believe he had a pretty nasty fall.

Even I could barely stand that lie.

I pulled away from the others, from the pack because they were upset and angry with me right now. From Claire because I knew she was torn but if given a choice I figured it would be her _friggin_ soul mate over me. From Mom because all I could see were those condemning eyes of hers that kept saying 'I told you so,' even if she wouldn't say those words out loud. She was disappointed to say the least. Sahara had tried communicating with me several times ever since she heard from her dad who heard from Quil about what happened. I ignored her calls and fortified my mental block between us.

I didn't want to hear her cries of regret and scolding over acting so irresponsible. The pack kids knew to stay away from me as did my classmates. I thought about Collin and how he was still in isolation. The guy was taking it pretty seriously, having not shown up at the hospital with everyone else but paying his visits when hardly anyone was there or so I heard.

Maybe I need to go into isolation.

The thought hit me just as I was walking along a stretch of dirt road that connected the rez to Forks. Even if I had turned Old Quil into collateral damage, I had succeeded in my mission. I'd found the language. I could translate those relics.

I turned around high tailed it back to the Rez. I took little care in keeping my sprint at a human speed. I burst into the house, there were peoplet here but I didn't care who. I yanked the rug off the floor and fumbled for the blasted key. The cellar was just as I left it. I would go into isolation but unlike Collin's, mine would be useful. I pulled out the nearest painting and began studying.

That's when I realized I should probably record everything.

There was no paper anywhere, at least none that didn't have important information all over it. I need like a journal or-

Oh journal, you finally have some use.

I retreated back to Nana Sue's house, careful to avoid mom. Slipping into the bedroom window was easy. I grabbed the journal but just as I was about to climb back out the house a childish squeal sounded from behind me. I turned to see the kitten girl , she looked like she had just woke from a nap.

"Whaddya want kid?" She didn't answer, just cocked her head to the side and licked her lips.

"You seem different."

"Is that a good thing?" I asked not caring either way. She just shrugged and rubbed her nose on her arm. I didn't have time for this. "Look, I gotta go." I didn't wait for a reply and jumped back out the window. I returned to the cellar. With a final sigh I got to work.

The darkness became my environment. I didn't need light, my eyes were attuned to this. I kept the door closed always, only leaving when need be. I ran through pen after pen recording my findings. I shut out the world completely but this was what I needed. I needed to be alone for this so that I could gain knowledge that everyone else was simply satisfied without having. I needed this, not for redemption but to keep busy, to be useful.

You know what they say about idle hands and the devil.

_Dear Journal_

_You're being revamped into a record keeper, so no more mushy sentimental moments from me after this._

_Emileah_

* * *

**A/N: **okay so this chap wasn't coming out how I wanted but hopefully you get the gist. Anywho:

**icihappi: **sorry you were ill glad that I could make your day

**hilja: **glad you're liking the series!

**X5-452: **yeah sounds like Leo's being missed a lot lol. yeah angry Quil was slightly difficult

**bvc17: **haha that's fine, *imagines you standing behind Quil throwing in "Yeah!"'s and 'That's right!" "Telll her!"* okay I'm getting carried away lol.

**Jada91: **Yay you remembered Fluffy Hair Kid/Detrick!

**framedhim: **lol it's fine to lump, the long reviews excite me anyways! I see what you're saying. I'd say I apologize about Emileah's character driving you nuts but I'm glad you appreciate her complexities.

**toshii519: **I'm glad you like it. And Tre/Leah...we'll just have to see :)

**MakeLoveNotWarx3: **I'm glad you picked up on that shared characterisitc between Tre and Emileah. I tried to hint at it in Til Imprint when she was younger but knew it wouldn't come to fruition until this fic. Glad you're liking the series.

And all that ^ was just to say thanks for reading and I apologize for not replying like I used to and I wanted this chap to look bigger :p because this chap and the next one are small tiny things.


	45. Emileah's Chorus:13

_Day One_

_Sam dated everything based on when he recorded it. The painting of the woman and the wolf was dated 3 weeks after Leo's birth._

_Day Five_

_Everything is laid out in order. The paintings and written stories all run together. Sam's dates aren't necessarily in chronological order._

_Day Ten_

_I've got the gist of the book. There's a more in depth telling of the spirit warrior time. I've named this time period A (creative no?). Time period B tells the time between wolf shifting all the way to the generation before Ephraim Black's pack. The third time period is unclear as of this point. I'll save it for last._

_Day Thirteen_

_The Third Wife had a name. It translates to 'calm waiter' or 'patience' I'm not sure which._

_Day Twenty_

_There was an enemy stalking the Quinaults in Makah circa 1873. It wasn't a cold one. It had a more animalish figure. The messenger who relayed the information to the Quileutes described it as a__ the 'Demon Bear' or 'Shadow Bear'. _

_Day Twenty Three_

_I found Sam's pastel of the 'Demon Bear' and from the looks of this thing, it's no bear. I hesitate to say but it reminds me more of a wolf than a bear but it certainly doesn't look like our wolves._

_Day Twenty-Four_

_Imprinting is an action that can't be undone. The unbreakable bonds of imprinting however are very much so malleable. I discovered that after I found the passage on the temporary joining of souls aka dimprinting. I refuse to write any more today as I've already broken five pens just trying to get the first two sentences out. _

_Day Twenty-Five_

_Time periods A and B have been translated. Will start on Time period C tomorrow. Mom was worried since she hadn't seen me for the past 36 hours. _

_Day Twenty-nine_

_Parables and hypothetical situations are running amuck in time period C. I'm having trouble deciphering what the "Darkness" is or what it is in reference to._

_Day Thirty_

_I'm an idiot. "Darkness" is a person. Or entity of some sort._

_Day Thirty-Two_

"_In the days of Darkness ' rule, a warrior will rise up not in one but in many." It was the ending quote on a page dated by Sam about four months after Leo's birth. There was a reference to another page that I have yet to find. _

_Day Thirty-Five_

_Sahara broke through my mental block. She was telling me about our cousins in Ohio when I recalled the panther tale that originated in Cambodia, 'The Tale of the blessed cousins'. "And in those days there shall be a mighty storm in which the tyrants will fall at the hands of those bonded through feline blood. Guided by the hands of time…" _

_Day Thirty-Six_

_Time period C isn't a bunch of tales and stories. It's a prophecy. And it ties into the tale of the blessed cousins. _

_Day Thirty-Eight_

_I'm nearing the end of the translation for Time Period C. I took a break because I think I heard dad's voice in my head again, but it was the ghost of a whisper._

_Day Forty_

_Everything is translated. I've ripped pages out of the journal and bound everything together in a book format. I haven't left this house in a week. It doesn't matter though. I've learned everything, except for those two missing pages._

**A/N: **...um *real life spoiler* the Saints won the superbowl *end spoiler*... sry I'm hyper. review please :)


	46. Emileah's Chorus:14

I spent forty days in that cellar, forty days since I put Old Quil in the hospital. Thirty nine days since he fell into a coma. School was out for the summer, I'd missed the last month of class. No matter, this was more important especially when I have an indefinite amount of youth, schooling can wait.

I emerged from the dark cellar, translated book in hand. It was more like a tome, huge, nearing 1500 pages. The light streaming from the room's window hurt my unaccustomed eyes but I kept moving. My clothes were worn, tattered my hair had grown another 5 inches at least.

That's gonna be crap when I phase.

I probably look like I haven't slept in weeks, which isn't far from the truth. It didn't matter. None of it did. I'd done what I needed to do. I'd learned a lot. And it was much more than what I would have learned in a classroom.

"You've been down there a week." I snapped my head to the doorway after closing the cellar back. "If it wasn't for your mental awareness I could sense, I'd think you were dead." I half smiled at the greeting.

"Yeah well you're really fat." I replied to my mother. She crossed her arms and fought to keep a smile from creeping on her face. My statement was true through, she looked like she was ready to burst any moment. The pregnant look didn't look to bad on her though. I opened my mouth to give her another dose, but I stopped when I noticed the sad look on her face. She wasn't looking at me anymore, "How's Old Quil?" Her head jerked up, she obviously was surprised by my concern which surprisingly enough was genuine.

"There's been no change," she replied then paused, "but at least he hasn't gotten worse." I couldn't help the scoff that escaped my throat.

"If he got any worse he'd be dead." Mom gave me a hard stare.

"Just make sure you don't say things like that around Quil," she warned.

"What makes you think he'll even come around me," I paused to use the rug to cover the cellar door again. "I half expected him to come drag me out of the cellar by my hair at some point."

"Don't think he didn't want to," she started with an exasperated look on her face, "but we managed to keep him at bay."

"We?"

"Myself, Brady, Seth's been trying to talk to him a little. Mainly it was Collin though." That unwillingly caught my interest.

"He finally gave up and come out of isolation?"

"No, but he felt this was too serious to just pretend to ignore, he's been trying to calm Quil down when he can, comes to the hospital at night with him. Quil knows he can't really do anything to you because you're Collin's-"

"I'm not a possession," I snapped. "I don't belong to him, I'm not his anything, we just happen to be in the same pack if you can even call this ragtag group that anymore." I was getting angry too quick. I took a few breaths to calm myself. "I finished the translations."

"I figured, otherwise you wouldn't have come up for air-"

"I can save Old Quil." She didn't reply so I continued. "I found out about the imprinting. The spirit warriors, our abilities, life spans, legends…everything," Again no response. It was almost as if this boat load of information didn't matter to her. "I was so stupid, I had always been able to save him, I saved Collin, I _can_ save Quil."

"That's the same reasoning you had last time," she pointed out with a blank expression but I could tell by her voice she was starting to get angry as well. At least I got a reaction.

"I know but," I took another breath. This was going to be hard to explain. "I was missing one key detail, well, not missing so much as I had forgotten it."

"Which was?" Before I could answer her, someone ran into the house letting the front door bang in the process.

"Leah," it was Brady." I caught a scent about twenty five miles out." He was panting slightly which meant he must have ran all the way back here from that distance.

"Did you tell Embry?" Mom asked him going straight into alpha mode.

"No, he's at the hospital with Quil, I figured I should just come to you." She nodded then looked at me.

"You feel up for a patrol?" She asked and I hesitated, realizing that she was actually asking me, not slyly demanding.

"I can't." She didn't seem surprised by the response. "I have to go to the hospital." That answer caused Brady to jerkin a similar manner to what mother did earlier though he didn't say anymore. Mom nodded at my answer then turned back to Brady.

"Get one of Embry's to go with you, preferably Solomon or Detrick."

"Solomon's working, I'll go find Dee," he answered then ran back out the house. Mom turned back to me.

"You want me to go with you?"

"No." It was a quick answer but only because I didn't think I was strong enough to not give into the temptation of wanting her protection if I hesitated. Of course she'll never know that. We studied each other for a moment. I handed the large book to her. She grabbed it with ease. "You might as well get a head start in reading it."

"You sure you don't need it for-"

"No, I know what I need to do." And I did. I left the house without another word to her.

* * *

A/N: Sooooooo I took a really long time to update. My bad. ummmm now i'm getting confused again...which story did i reply to reviews to lol.


	47. Emileah's Chorus:15

Even though I had nearly sprinted Old Quil in my arms to the hospital I hadn't seen him since. I didn't see him lying in his hospital bed until now. I had sat as the nurses carted him off to the ICU and sat in the waiting room doing just that, waiting. When the doctor had relayed to Quil that his grandfather had slipped into a coma, only then did mom lax her punishment and allow me to return to the house.

Now here I stood over a month later staring at this fragile old man lying in this cold sterile room looking as peaceful as if he were sleep. Hoping that somehow I could save him from the purgatory I'd sent him to. My appearance was no better than when I had come out of the cellar, I'm sure I startled a number of the attendees but they were wise to move out of my way. Hopefully when I pulled Old Quil back to the land of the living he wouldn't take in my wild woman look and have a heart attack from being scared to death.

That _would _be my luck.

Quil had still been visiting his grandfather when I showed up. I could tell he was livid at my appearance and was probably only holding back because Embry told him too. I told him I could help. He looked for lack of a better term, doubtful. He didn't want to entrust the old man's life to me but I was the only one that could fix this.

He didn't have a choice.

The alpha and beta duo left. I had to be alone, nothing could break my concentration. I let my hands slide gently to the sides of Old Quil's head. With a final breath I closed my eyes and found myself being hurtled into another dimension.

"Oh, there you are," I looked around for the voice, I felt dizzy, as I took in my indistinct surroundings. "I was wondering when you would show up." My sight finally settled on the man in the distance. He looked kind of like Quil but different. "That's because I am Quil." It took me a few seconds to realize he was responding to my unspoken speculation, not that it should surprise me considering my mind was invaded daily. "Well what did you think would happen when you linked minds with me?" The young man smirked at me.

"Old Quil?" I asked confusedly, not quite finding my bearings enough to move. Not even sure if I had a physical body in this realm.

"In the flesh," he paused then suddenly reappeared directly in front of me, "well more like the young flesh. I was quite the fella in my younger days." He gestured towards his lean, muscled body and I found myself agreeing then tensed when I remembered he could 'hear' me checking him out.

I'm so going to counseling after this.

"You should really take note that this whole mind linking you do, works both ways." He offered. "I could hear all your little thoughts when you first came to me." I frowned.

"Little thoughts like what?" I asked already feeling scandalized, knowing that in a state of using my power to such an extent I couldn't block things. And after seeing some of the intimate memories I'd seen in his head, I could only imagine which of my deep memories he had seen.

"Don't worry dear, I'm an old man, I've seen and done it all." I cringed, not liking what he was implying, though he just became amused with each of my thoughts.

"Well it looks like you're doing fine," I started, wanting to leave this place and end the link quickly, "but I think it's time we got out of here and put everyone at ease." At that Young Old Quil's laughing stopped. He seemed to be studying me. I realized too late that he was reading everything from my mind that had happened since he'd been in the hospital.

"Forty days," he murmured. "At first I thought I'd died because I could see _her_." Before I could ask who, I acquired the information of his dead wife. "But then it would only come and go. I haven't seen her for a while now it's like I'm-"

"In stasis," I finished for him. "That's why I've come here, to get you out." There was that apprehensive look again.

"I…" he looked away, "I don't want to." He sound his age, well the age he looked anyway, with that statement.

"What do you mean, you _don't want_ to," I asked getting louder still being unable to move any closer to him, "You have to. You can't stay in this coma forever."

"I know but I feel," he started to fidget, "I feel it's my time."

I snapped.

"No!" I roared. "It is not. All old people say that when something happens. Stop being so self sacrificing, just because you got a little taste of heaven now you think-"

"That's just it," he cut me off. "I saw her, my wife, my mate and I long to be with her again. I've seen a bit of heaven and I want to go." My anger was boiling. He couldn't do this to me.

"You still have the people on the Rez that look up to you, you have your grandson, Quil, remember him?!" He didn't reply still refusing to look me in the eye. "You're so selfish!" I screamed and that caused him to finally turn back to me.

"And you aren't?" He asked rage blazing in his eyes. "Or is commandeering someone's mind by force your regular civil service?" I couldn't answer. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "Look I-"

"I never meant to hurt you." I mumbled, still overcome by his outburst. His emotions were mingling with mine, it was difficult to get a grip and keep myself…well me.

"I know you didn't," he said calmly while walking towards me. "But you and I both know in here, for you to be effective, I have to be willing." I froze, not that I'd moved much sense I'd been here. I hadn't realized he had been reading through my memories of translating the book. "It's why you nearly killed me last time. You_ forced_ yourself into my head."

"But with Collin-"

"It was different. He wanted to be saved, and you were young. You ironically had better control then,"

"Because I gave him total control." Old Quil nodded when I finished his statement. Or was it my statement that he was saying in the first place, I didn't know anymore. "That's why I can't move because you don't want me to."

"Bingo," he said and turned away from me. "And that's why I'm telling you that you yelling and ordering is completely useless. If I don't want to be saved, you can't save me." He had me and it was thoroughly upsetting. I had no control and it was eating me up inside. If I even tried to force myself to take control I could kill him. I had to let him have his fun, but his fun was not exactly fun.

"What are you saying Quil?"

"That I forgive you for putting me in the hospital and I know why you did it." He latched onto my shoulders. "Emileah you're very loyal and I know under all that tough exterior there's a sweet girl."

"Save me the sentiment." I attempted to snap but it came out more tired and weary. He sighed.

"You should probably get back." I looked at him as he turned away from me.

"I'm not leaving here without you." I said determinedly.

"You have to, it's time for me to leave as well."

"You can't do this Quil!" I screamed again. My resolve was weakening but I didn't quite know what I was fighting. "You can't! I already hurt you. I'm not going to be your _murderer_!"

"You aren't. This is my choice." He sad calmly, his regal tone of olden age starting to return.

"No it isn't! You die, it'll be _my_ fault._ I _will have failed. They'll hate _me_!" His arms were around me then, holding me in a way that reminded of when my dad would hug me when I was younger. It was comforting.

"They won't hate you. They'll forgive you, all you have to know is that you didn't kill me, it'll be enough. I chose this. You tried to save me, you could have, I didn't want it."

"Quil-"

"Shush. Now you listen to me, you go back out there and fulfill your destiny. You watch over the others, you know you have to." I didn't reply anymore. " He chuckled though the sound was muffled in my hair. "You and your mother are two of a kind, too strong for your own good." His voice was fading but before I could panic I felt him pushing me away. "It's time for you to go." His arms were at his sides but I could feel a combination of pulling and pushing forces trying to extricate me from Quil's mind. I started to struggle.

"Quil don't do this to me."

"Hurry and leave you can't be trapped in here when I depart."

"It doesn't matter, if I don't die in here with you, they'll kill me!" I was showing weakness but I couldn't stop. I was desperate.

"Don't be so dramatic," he said jokingly even as his image began to fade. "They'll forgive you in time. We all know how close you came to dying with Collin when you saved him." My moment of shock at his statement caused the driving out forces to gain some ground on me. "Ah, you haven't told them have you? How Collin almost gave in and you would have floundered with him."

"He tried to kick me out at that point too." I murmured more to myself, realizing a moment too late that he had pushed me out of his mind even more.

"Just goes to show you that brawn doesn't always translate into mental strength as well," he chuckled again as if all of this humorous. "Go now, my time's up."

"Qu-" I lost control and felt myself being thrown back into darkness, his mind separating from my own, "-il." I was back in the hospital room. I was no longer in the chair, but on my knees beside the bed, my body half over Old Quil's chest. I shook the cloudiness of my brain off and reached to try and re-enter his mind.

Then the machines beeped. The breathing machine stopped functioning after one final wheeze, the heart monitor flat lined after a few last sporadic beats, and every number plummeted to zero. I gasped. Even after all that, I hadn't really believed he was going to do it.

"Quil!" I yelled this time latching onto his head with a rush of determination, "Quil!" He didn't reply. I couldn't get into his mind, couldn't sense anything. His sleeping wolf gave a final whine before submitting as well. I tensed and clenched my fists. He'd done it.

That old bastard died of his own will.

And I was powerless to stop it. I slinked back into the chair realizing that in only moments the medical staff would overrun the room. The corpse just laid there, completely at ease, free from the worries of this world. And I was nothing but a dead girl walking. They would never believe me. I wouldn't be able to plead my case. No matter what I said or tried to show them, I would be Old Quil's murderer.

And what makes it worse is that no one outside the pack would ever know. I could never be punished by human laws.

But I'm sure whatever punishment Embry and Quil would come up with would be ten times worse.

I left the room in a daze as five scrubbed people ran in, screaming commands. I walked straight to the waiting room and with one look Quil's face soured. It was like he knew what had happened as soon as he saw me. His skin rippled before he dashed out of the room knocking into me on the way out. I stumbled but didn't fall. Embry followed without saying a word. I left with all the sounds around me blurring together. I didn't pay attention to where I was walking. It was weird. I think some parts of my psyche got mixed up in Old Quil's brain, I couldn't see straight. I don't remember when I left the hospital, I just spent hours wandering around Forks, the perimeter of the rez and its forests. I phased a few times but I only knew that because I'd start to scream and all that would come out were howls or agonizing yowling.

"Emileah." The first thing I noticed was that it was dark out. The voice was groggy in my mind but that could be because I was waking up, not having remembered when I fell asleep. "Emileah." A strong grip on my shoulder. I turned around and came face to face with an expression that looked as haggard as I felt.

"Collin." I said with lackluster. His expression didn't change, he just continued to stare into my eyes like he was studying me. I blinked a few times to clear my head. "Are we having a stare down or something, because I don't feel like playing games-"

"Old Quil's dead." I hesitated realizing that word had probably gotten out since I'd obviously spent hours wallowing in the forest.

"I know," I replied after a moment. Collin frowned. "I killed him." I managed not to wince, expecting some sort of backlash since he was one for dramatics. He uncharacteristically sighed.

"No you didn't." I matched his frown. He had said the words with such confidence that for a moment I was completely dumbfounded.

"Yes I did." I retorted. He gave me a look that a parent would give to a stubborn child.

"No," he stretched the syllable, "you didn't."

"Yes I did!" I shot to my feet when he shook his head at my statement. "Who are you to tell me what I did and didn't do? If I say I killed him I did!" He looked bored at my tantrum which only aggravated me more. "What? Can't stand being imprinted on a murderer so you'll just deny what I did?!" I finally got a reaction out of him when he flinched though he recovered quickly. "The fates hate you don't they, getting stuck with a kid, a brat as you like to say, a freaking rape baby, scum of the earth, and worse of all I kill old people for fun!" I hadn't realized when the evil grin had crossed my face, it had become second nature. I wanted to hurt the man in front of me but unfortunately he had gotten very good at hiding his reactions.

This can't be Collin.

I glared when I still got no reaction. "Or maybe," I took a step closer to him, "you're just as bad as I am. Got a few skeletons in the closet Collin? Is being bound to me some result of bad karma? I mean you had to do something to get stuck pining for a girl that hates you!" I gasped when he moved faster than I could comprehend and grabbed my wrist that had already been gesturing as I antagonized him.

"I know that you didn't kill Old Quil," his eyes never tore away from mine, "because I know when you're lying. And you're lying right now."He let go of my wrist. I took a hesitant step back never looking away.

"I'm not lyi-"

"Stop it." He snapped and I unwillingly shut up. "You think you can keep your secrets by closing the rest of us off from your mind but that's not it. Even you can't keep everything hidden." I took in a breath. "I always used to wonder why a child, a girl, a young woman as beautiful as yourself always had such a cold look in your eyes. There were a few times when I saw that spark of life but most of the time, they were just cold and empty. Lifeless," he passed again. "When I went into isolation I was trying to forget you, to let you go but it didn't work, I couldn't get that _look_ out of my head and I realized that it meant something. It wasn't natural. It was a sign that you were lying about something, hiding something." He turned around and ran a hand through his hair, groaning in frustration. Suddenly he turned back to face me. "But that didn't make sense right because you have that look most of the time which means…it means you're lying to yourself, about something. Everyday." He returned to his previous stoic position staring me straight on from only about a foot away. "Every waking moment, you've been keeping something from me, your mom, Leo, Sahara, your dad, the pack, everyone. And the worse thing is, is that you've convinced yourself that it's justified. What is it, Emileah? What are you hiding?"

I took a step back right when he took one forward. I tried again with the same reaction. For a moment a sense of danger enveloped me. Collin, even when he was drunk never gave off the dangerous vibe but right now he was being more dominant male than third string clown.

"Nothing." He clicked his teeth.

"You're lying again." I clenched my jaw. The feeling of someone looking into your soul is terrifying. I could only hope this vulnerable feeling that Collin was forcing out of me was a temporary side effect of losing myself in the mind link with Old Quil. He had the upper hand in this argument. I had to regain it.

"You say I give off some look when I'm lying," I relaxed my position even though I felt extremely on edge. "Then what do I look like when I'm not."

"Your pupils dilate ever so slightly, and you focus more, you do that smiling with your eyes thing." I looked away from him as he got lost in his description. "You blink a few times, it's almost like you're trying to clear your head or something. He must have noticed me turning away from him. "I'm sorry if I sound like a creeper but, I've only seen this look once every few blue moons, forgive me if I tried to naively keep it engrained in my memory." He was smiling slightly now, almost as if he was pleased with the idea of getting a reaction out of me. I recovered from my state of shock quickly.

"So when exactly do you 'see' this look?" I put up air quotes to insult his intelligence. He didn't take the bait.

"It's usually when you're hanging out with Sahara or Leo or Claire sometimes. Not that much anymore. When you were younger and your parents would be running together. Also when you were with your dad or he was doing the whole protective father thing, you'd act annoyed but I could see that look."

"Shouldn't I have had the 'lying' look when that happens?"

"No, I think you really were annoyed but you were happy at the same time."

"So, what about you? What kind of look do I have around you?"

"I've never been the source of that spark in your eyes. If anything, seeing me seems to make your eyes go even more out of focus." For some reason that didn't settle well with me.

"Maybe you're confusing truth with happiness." I cut him off not liking where his explanation was going.

"Who says they aren't the same?" was his fast retort.

"The truth hurts." I replied finally being able to look him dead in the eye again.

"Not all the time." He stepped toward me but I held my ground this time."It's killing you. Whatever it is you're holding in, is eating you from the inside out and everyone sees it. You can't keep this to yourself, let someone in or you're going to head down a destructive road that's only going to hurt everyone around that cares for you and you most of all." He finally stepped back giving me some air.

"And what do you know about destroying people? All you are is a useless alcoholic."

"I've had my fair share of hurt but I know that if you're father was here, he would attest to the fact that what you're doing is dangerous." It finally clicked what he was referencing and I felt my anger rising.

"Afraid I'm going to lose it and rape you Collin?" It left a bitter taste in my mouth, those words but I wasn't going to show that it affected me.

"I'm afraid you're going to do something much worse." Once again I found him shutting me up. I was used to Collin being a slightly whiny immature man child that looked forward to drinks and corrupting Brady. Not this serious guy that knew how to hit my weak spots better than I could his. We stood in silence as his rigid posture finally dropped. "We should probably head back, Leah's probably worried." I didn't even have the strength to protest his suggestion or his statement.


	48. Emileah's Chorus:16

It felt like Collin was leading me to my execution when we arrived back on the Rez. His pace slowed as he slipped a hand protectively around my waist that was now thankfully covered by a shirt he'd had with him. On any other day I would have shirked the gesture but as we approached the Council Building I felt my anxiety spike. I had thought that we were going to meet with the Elders and discuss what happened at the hospital.

"Step aside Collin," But the pack members apparently had different ideas. They seemed to just appear out of the shadows of the building, blocking our entrance, arms folded as they focused on us in the dark. "This doesn't concern you." Collin pulled me closer in response.

"It doesn't concern you either."

"Oh yes it does." Another of Embry's pack decided to speak. "She killed an Elder. She murdered one of her own. You know pack law."

"And who says she killed an elder?" No one answered. "Did you ask her? Did she say it?" The pack members shared a look between themselves.

"It doesn't matter. Quil told us what happened. He was visiting Old Quil, she went in to visit him, she left and his grandfather was dead. End of story."

"_Not_ end of story," Collin snapped back. "Did Quil tell you what happened in that room? Did he explicitly say _she_ killed him? Was _he_ in there? Were _you_? No! She's the only one that knows what happened in there. So if you'll excuse us we have a meeting with the council-"

"We can't let you do that." Collin looked surprised at his friends, I noticed. Apparently they were acting out of character as well. "It doesn't matter what you say Collin, she's a murderer."

Detrick stepped forward and placed a hand Collin's shoulder. "Listen man, you don't have to protect her. Maybe Embry can find a way to reverse the imprint then you won't have to suffer when-" Collin growled and yanked Detrick's hand away from his shoulder. Detrick put up his hands in surrender as he backed up to join the others.

"Does Brady know you guys are doing this?"

"Brady doesn't exactly see eye to eye with us on this." One tried to explain logically. "But don't worry-"

"And what about Quil? Did he tell you to come interrogate us before –"

"This isn't about you Collin," Someone cut in. "This is about that witch and what she did. She wronged the beta! She acted irresponsibly twice and used her abilities to kill an Elder of the tribe. You can't save her, she has to be punished." I'd had enough by this point, they were arguing over me as if I wasn't there and Collin trying to protect me when it was unwarranted, un-wanted. I had protected myself up to this point, I would continue to do so.

"And what punishment is that?" I snapped as I stepped away from Collin. He looked over at me his eyes pleading with me probably to be silent but I ignored him. "And how exactly do you plan on exacting this punishment?"

"Death," was the only answer. "And we will have the burden of carrying out the deed." I scoffed internally. Burden. Funny. They had been wanting to tear me to shreds for years now.

"I'd like to see you try you bunch of ignorant lazy selfish idiots." Collin reached his hands out as if trying to keep the circle around us from attacking me despite our defensive crouches we had already sank into.

"Wait, just wait!" Collin was begging desperately but no one was hearing him. "You have no grounds to attack her."

"We have all the grounds. Besides the only one who'll be affected is Leah and we can handle her, she can't be any worse than before." I didn't have time to dwell on the fact that they were talking about how she acted when they were all younger.

"If you attack her I won't hesitate to thrash all of you." That statement actually caused the others to pause. A few laughed but one thing I could attest to was that Collin wasn't lying. While these posers were lounging around waiting for the occasional vampire to wander onto their land, Collin was with our pack fighting and training every other day.

He actually could take them on.

But the idiot probably shouldn't goad all of them at the same time.

"Collin, we understand you think you love her but-"

"You don't understand anything. She's not guilty of what you think she is-"

"You can't think she's innocent?"

"I'm not saying she's innocent," he paused to lock eyes with me for a moment before turning to look back at the others, "I'm saying she's not guilty of murder. I'm not gonna be ignorant of other things she's done but I'm not going to stand here and let you hurt her because of me." Everyone went silent. I had known that Collin both despised and needed me. Through the years he'd probably cried to his friends how unfair it was that I hated him but the truth was…the truth was that I did-

"What is going on here?!"

* * *

A/N:I fell off the face of the planet again...and I may not make a reappearance after this until the semester ends. Hopefully not. Anyways...next chapter I've been working on and re-writing and deleting and trying again and trying to lengthen and BLAH for like months. It was hard but I hope it suffices.


	49. Leah's Bridge

One of the first things a parent thinks when they first lay eyes on their child is how much they love them. Then they think about how perfect they are and how the world is going to try and corrupt them from that one moment. It becomes second nature to want to protect them.

Instinct.

There I stood watching as my daughter tried to fight off everyone, even me. I didn't focus on the taunts, the accusations. I watched as they put my daughter in a circle, ready to stone her.

My heart broke. How had I created such a machine? She was so tough. I'd wanted it that way. She needed to be able to take care of herself so that the world couldn't break her as easily as it did me. And now she stands against impossible odds, unmoving. Holding her ground because to run- to flee-is not even a word in her vocabulary.

Flight or fight. She has no flight reaction. Ever.

Even if it was Emileah against the world. She'd try to fight it head on.

Go down without a fight? Never.

But right now in this moment when I couldn't protect her, I just wanted her to run. To chicken out. Whatever. Get away from this situation. Let me fix it.

She ignored my silent pleas.

But I couldn't ignore hers. She wasn't telling them everything. I could hear it plainly in her thoughts. Collin probably could too.

She hated them for not helping her, not caring. She missed Sahara and Leo and Claire but she would never admit it out loud. She missed her father and was angry that no one was going after him, not even me. Though I don't think she really expected me too. She was confused. She didn't understand how I could stand being near him, looking at her everyday and not think about what he did to me.

Truth was, I couldn't.

She didn't understand that I would love her to death. To death. No matter what she did, who she became. I could never hold against her, who her father is. Ever. But she thinks so low of me. As if I'm not strong enough, as if I'm not a fighter, as if I'm some dainty princess that takes the easy way out in everything.

She should know it takes more than just some fairy dust to breed a soldier like her.

She's so much like him. She can become so withdrawn, so separated from the others without even trying. Who learns how to build up mental walls by the age of ten? Who can take down a bloodthirsty newborn by the age of eleven? She could beat us both in a foot race by age thirteen.

It terrified me. And I know without verbalizing it, that _he_ felt the same. The imprint had a purpose alright. To bond people but also to create these…

I don't even know what to call my kids. Sam said the imprint was to create stronger wolves.

My child is composed of every single detail that makes us-her parents-feared monsters. I don't even know how much child is left in her. I'd told _him_ that. It had been one of our last conversations.

_Why are you doing this? This isn't you. You're not some baby making machine!_

_Why?! Because Jake and Ness have seven unmarked graves in their backyard. Because Ness miscarries every time she reaches the halfway point in her pregnancy._

_You think of Emileah as a monster. Maybe there's a reason Jake and Ness aren't procreating._

_You're right, there is a reason. But there's also a reason why I'm helping them. _

_You know something._

I did know something. I still do know something. Something's coming, I didn't need to read this book to know. Emileah believes she needs proof, believes that she needs to continually prove herself to the pack. It's all she wants, acceptance. I knew the feeling all too well, but she was working from a lower point than myself. It's funny because they should be the ones trying to prove themselves to her. Because we're not strong enough. We were enough for our old enemies but this new enemy, is going to be far too superior for us. Only our children will be able to face it.

I didn't fear my kids. I feared for them. For whatever it was that was coming that was forcing them to become these machines, these assassins. For crying out loud they're only 16 and 17! Paul's kids are 8!

It's why I started drinking coffee. Tamyra was getting worried that my nights I spent worrying about the future and throwing back shots was going to turn me into a stress drinker.

_I'm not going to let my pride get in the way of my children safety. If giving birth to an army is what I have to do to keep our kids safe then so be it!_

_Leah, what's going to happen?_

I was no Alice. I didn't know. Not exactly. I just knew that there were some key players that would be needed in the future. Some that were babies, some that weren't born yet. At least I assumed so, but I was going to give my kids every fighting chance to succeed. I'm surprised Emileah hasn't realized that I'm the one holding those two pages hostage.

One page had a picture for future A and the other for future B. Simple really, despite the fact that in one, there's nothing but death.

I refuse to bury any of my kids.

_Leah, you have to tell me what you know. _

_Why?_

_So I can help you. We're partners even if you can't stomach my presence you have to accept that I'd do anything for you._

_I don't have to do anything, especially for you Foster._

Truth was, I did need him. He knew that he needed to be there for me, he just didn't know why. I knew he'd always be there. That he'd never forgive himself for what he did. Even if he wasn't in control. Fate had a twisted way of bringing two people together. The guy was so oblivious to how much I needed him, it was funny. I was independent, strong, tough, that's what everyone thought of me-now- but that's because he doesn't even know when he's helping. The days he encourages me when I'm feeling my lowest but trying not to show. The days he would take the kids when I was stressing out. The times he would take control when we met a very disagreeable group of shifters.

I could handle my own, he knew that, it didn't mean that I always wanted to and when I got to that point, he was always there to take the reigns.

A shout brought me back to the scene going on outside the council building.

And it was in that moment that I realized she'd grown up too quickly. She was an adult ready to face her consequences head on. Even if they seemed unfair.

Then there was Collin. That poor fool. I couldn't help but pity him. She was shutting him down over and over and he just continually tried to put himself out there to help her. I watched as he turned on his own friends.

"_I know what it's like to be stuck between a rock and a hard place." He told me one evening when we were preparing to infiltrate a rogue coyote clan._

"_How so?"_

"_I live there." _

It wasn't the fact that I knew his story so well. It was the fact that he'd said it so matter of fact. He knew. He just knew this was how life was going to be. Maybe I shouldn't have been protecting my child from being imprinted on.

Sometimes I think I should have protected the guys from imprinting on my child.

Have you ever worked so hard to achieve something and just watch it all crumble at your feet?

I've wanted to be a good mother since everyone said they had faith in me. I had a pack. A partner. My family. My daughter and son.

He was my son.

He _is_ my son. No matter who gave birth to him, I raised him.

And now he's missing and my daughter is pulling away

_Isn't that what you wanted?_

They were growing too dependent. I'd lost faith in myself to protect, to keep them safe. Something was coming and I didn't know if I had the strength to carry them. I always felt insecure about how I raised my kids. I had been feeling as if I'd failed Leo in a way. As sick as it sounds I was angry, because something nagged at me telling me that Emily might have done a better job raising Leo than I had.I wanted her to be proud of the son-her son- that I'd raised. But at the same time, I wanted to shove it in her face that I could mold her son in my image.

I'm glad that I dropped that line of thinking, it was immature and spiteful. It was why I started slowly disentangling my hold I had over them. They needed to learn on their own.

Emileah always wondered why she had such foreboding thought about some evil upon us.

I didn't have the heart to tell her it was coming from me. That I'd felt something coming, that I know something's coming. Strange that she was the only one to pick up on it. It started with the nightmares. I kept seeing my dad's eyes while life slipped from him. And every night, I'd wake up with arms around me. He said I was feeling so fearful and sad that he couldn't sleep.

Comfort.

While we were "on the road" he would hardly ever let me go after the main enemies. Let's me interrogate and take down weaker ones but he always tried to keep the biggest threat far from me. Whether it was subconscious or not didn't matter, even when I insulted him, calling him a chauvinist. I still deep down appreciated the protection.

Then when he came into the room angry, that I'd loaned my body to someone else. That I'd do something so out of character he was prepared to save me from myself.

How do you tell someone that you only changed because of them?

I had fought it. I really had. But how do you fight that feeling of being whole? Even if you felt it was unjust or undeserved, or just downright strenuous.

When you're lost for so long, aren't you going to jump at the first solid chance to be found?

Moment after moment that he was near me I had felt the cracks. I had hated him at first, loathed his very presence but I endured. Then I simply tolerated it. He was always around, like oxygen. There would be moments when he would just…God he would just be doing that perfect father thing with Emileah when she was young and it would turn me on so bad.

That was the day I realized I'd turned into an old woman. I wanted to jump the guy because he started playing hopscotch with his 7 year old.

I'd convinced myself it was lust, familiarity. We were around each other 24/7. We had a kid together even if the circumstances were far from wonderful. We led a pack together. We were always in each other's head. I was getting too comfortable.

So I ignored the feelings for years. Pushed them to the back of my mind. Focused solely on my children, on the pack, my brother and his family, I even let Jacob call me to vent his frustrations. It was always easier to deal with his problems. But even Jake knew I was hiding something, even when I didn't realize it myself.

I had thought I was missing something.

Turns out I was just ignoring it.

The infamous birthday party had been the breaking point. He had followed me to the room after getting as much situated as he could. I wasn't in a place to deal with damage control. My kids had just run off, my niece was in shock, and my pack was in disarray. Not to mention a large percentage of the Haven supporting vampires had witnessed all that drama. I didn't dwell on it, neither did he.

"_Leah, please just talk to me." He enveloped the entire doorway to my guest room. I could sense him not too far from phasing, which meant he was angry, livid, but he held it back because he needed my side of the story. _

"_I have to do this," I finally reached his eyes, "I can't let anything happen to the kids because of my own selfish pride." It was all the answer I gave him and even though it wasn't specific or clear, he took it. My head had dropped into my hands. I wanted to tell him more but I couldn't. Then his arms were around me. Holding me, then rocking me like he'd done that day after the battle. I didn't cry this time but I felt just as stressed as I had before. Then he started humming something while he rubbed my back, it was soothing. I couldn't help it, with one breath across my neck I was hyperaware of everything he was doing, and the worst part was that he had no clue. _

_A finger playing in my hair, then a slight peck on my cheek. It was driving me mad. _

_Needless to say, he was surprised to suddenly find himself flipped onto his back, as I held him down by his shoulders._

"_Leah-"_

"_I can't do this." His eyes softened._

"_Then just sit Jake and Ness down and tell them-"_

"_No," I cut him off before he got the wrong idea. "I can do the surrogacy thing, pregnancy can't nearly be as hard the second time around," he looked confused again, "it's this I can't do." I had motioned between the two of us. He wasn't quite getting it._

"_Do you want to split the pack?"He sound sad but urgent as if he had been anticipating this moment to happen." You want to go back to Jake-"_

"_No, Tre, I can't-I'm not-ugh I'm frustrated!"I closed my eyes so that I wouldn't have to stare into his anymore. Then he starts that comforting rubbing again. How he ever thought I could keep my thoughts straight with him touching me I have no clue._

_And that's when my thoughts decided to blare across our link. _

_He froze, carefully moving his hand away as if to not enrage a dangerous animal. _

"_Leah-uh do you need me to leave or-" He said uneasily even though he was still 'trapped' beneath me._

"_I would rather you stayed." I let it out but it didn't have the reliving feeling I was expecting. What I was about to do was slightly dirty but I couldn't help it. Call me selfish but I could only do so many philanthropic deeds in one decade. "Tre, you would do anything for me right?"_

"_Yes." I was pulling the imprint card. He was my imprinter but I wasn't his. He had to do anything for me but it didn't work the other way around. He knew this yet and still he answered affirmatively without the slightest hesitation._

"_Please," was all I got out before forcing my lips to his. I nearly cried at his accepting response. Strange, we had a teen together and this was the first time we had ever kissed. I reveled in it, maybe because I was frustrated, maybe because he was giving me total control, maybe because I had wished for years that maybe this would have been us had things taken a more natural route, he would have never been forced into alpha status, never would have lost control of himself. Never would have scarred me so severely._

_I was deliriously happy for a time, but I found myself waking to the buzzing of an alarm clock. _

"_Good morning." _

_Oh God…_

_Had been my first thought waking up that morning. Arms around my waist, my bare back flush against a bare chest, and said owner of chest was most certifiably butt naked. _

"_Morning Tre." Had been my nonchalant response despite my inner thoughts of course that calm demeanor didn't last long._

"_I'm leaving," is most certainly the one thing a girl does not want to hear that morning after. _

"_I'm sorry if you felt like I forced you-"_

"_Don't even finish that sentence L.C," I sighed not even bothering to yell at him for using the nickname. From pet names to nicknames…wonderful. "You asked me last night and I agreed-"_

"_You make it sound like we signed a contract-"_

"_If you regret it-"_

"_No." I didn't. If anything that had been the happiest I'd been in well…a long while. Not to mention the most comfortable sleep I've had since becoming a freaking wolf. "Now why are you leaving?"_

"_The kidnappings, the murders, the mysterious enemy the Haven has that can cloak its smell-"_

"_Tre, we're leaving here in a few days to-"_

"_No, we're not going anywhere." At this I turned around to face him finally managing to not get tangled up in the bed sheets. _

"_What do you mean we're not going anywhere?"_

"_You're pregnant."_

"_And?"_

"_And?" He echoed, thinking he's funny. "You're not in any condition to go bad guy hunting around the country. I'm going, alone and you're staying here to have the babies-"_

"_Babies?!" He looked confused for a second as if I was yanking his chain._

"_You're carrying more than one, I can distinctly pick up a Jacob like smell on at least one of them." I'd forgotten he was able to smell when someone was pregnant. Then I wondered why he hadn't picked up the scent before. "You're very early in your pregnancy, I could have ignored it but after last night," he paused to clear his throat, "after last night I became very…aware of your body…again." A part of me pleaded with him to never compare last night to what had happened before. Last night had been willing, 16 years ago had not. It was weird but at least now I wouldn't freak out when Carlisle gave me an ultrasound a few weeks later. "I'll get a head start on the trail and hopefully figure out who's taking those kids before the rest of you even have to come."_

"_Want to steal all the glory?" I joked even though I was lightweight panicking about his departure. Why in the world did he think he needed to go alone? He shouldn't but I'm not his girlfriend, I'm not his wife. Alpha female or no, I can't make such demands of him._

"_No, I've been watching you these past few months and I know that despite all the drama that's been going on, you've been happier at home, and relatively well rested," his hand slid up to cup the side of my face. "I don't want to be the one to take that from you just yet."He leaned in closer "There will be plenty more battles for you to fight L.C." His lips ghosted over mine and I felt the beginnings of that euphoria again but I pushed it away when I noticed how tense he was._

"_You're holding back." It had a double meaning. He only nodded. "What is it?" This time he forced his mouth to close as he bit down on whatever he was going to say, to stop him from giving into me and blurting it out. _

"_I…" he paused growing nervous. He was still so close that I felt the tip of his tongue when he licked his own lips. "I don't want to tell you-"_

"_Tre-"_

"_But I need to." Another pause. I stayed silent as he gathered his private thoughts. "Leah I'm in love with you and I hate myself for it." I took in a breath, unable to respond. _

_He loved me but he hated himself._

_Did that mean he hated that he loved me? Did he not want to? Our imprint had always been different from the others, was he able to distinguish between what the imprint was making him do and what he really wanted? I shook my head determined to get answers from him and not keep dwelling in my own thoughts._

"_Why?"_

"_Let's not be naïve, Leah." Now he sounds angry? "Control or no, I raped you. It was my body that did the crime. I've accepted that. But this imprint screws up everything. I wanted you before but I stopped that after what happened. Then all I needed was to have my family. You're part of my family. I can't lose you. Over the years I've been watching as our relationship changed. We were…weird at first but then we got more comfortable with each other and we were what you could call friends. Confidants. I thought it would stop there and I could handle that. Wanting to be your friend and having my family around. But it didn't and now I have to suffer in silence. I'm not Collin, I can't handle rejection for years. Girls don't fall in love with their rapist."_

_It was a statement but I could hear the unspoken question. He wanted to know how I felt. Last night I thought I had acted out in lust but thinking back, after all these years I couldn't feel stagnant towards him. He was right. Girls didn't fall in love with their rapist. But their rapist normally wasn't who the universe deemed as their soul mate. Imprinting hadn't taken away my choices. I had been lusting after guys for the past decade. But it wasn't until, well I'm not quite sure, that my best choice was highlighted. That must have been when his feelings toward me veered from platonic onto romantic._

_God I can't believe I'm agreeing with Jake right now._

"_You're forgetting one thing Tre." He stared at me curiously. "You're anything your imprint needs you to be." It took him a moment before his eyes widened in surprise at what I was hinting. _

"_Are you-are you saying that you lo-"_

"_I'm not saying the L word yet." There would always be that hesitation. I forgave him for the past but I could never forget it. "But I am in very strong like of you right now." Apparently that was enough to satisfy him. He enveloped me in a hug while he murmured all these words of thanks, and adoration into my neck. Then the caresses came which again melded into kisses. We had nearly done a replay of the night before until he heard Seth come barging up the steps from another room in the Alaska mansion intent on speaking to us but completely oblivious to what was happening in the room. I still don't know how Seth never noticed I was wearing Tre's shirt when he came in. _

And only a day later he was gone. And that was months ago. It had been a long grueling few months. I'm almost ashamed to say that I've missed him. That I'm worried something's happened, in fact, I know something has because I can feel it.

I told Emileah I would let her know when I heard from her father. The truth was that I couldn't. I couldn't tell her that something had happened to silence him mentally but I could still feel him. I could feel everything that was happening to him. He was suffering and barely alive. Torture was what it felt like.

I thought that imprint only worked one way, boy was I wrong.

I was cracking, breaking, being torn in two but there was no way I could let it show. Sure, I lost my cool more, and lashed out but I couldn't let the pain become evident. Because Emileah would see it.

And she would leave. She would know her father was in trouble and I could not allow her to rush off in a mad dash like her brother.

So why now, as she was circled by the pack while they threatened her life and she stood her ground did I want her to do just that. Run away.

Two different scenarios.

I took in a breath. I already knew what had to be done.

We needed to leave. We were the policing pack, we traveled everywhere making sure the Havens were protected. We had been doing so for 16 years. No one in our pack knew how to stay still for long.

We needed to leave. But we couldn't leave together.

I took a step out of the council building but stopped when I smelt a familiar scent.

"What is going on here?!"

And so the prodigal son returns.


	50. Leonard's Reprise:1

"What is going on here?!" I admit, I freaked out a little bit. It was a hysterical scream but what else was supposed to be my reaction to running for a week and a half in wolf form to get back to the rez only to find my sister about to be jumped by over half of Embry's pack? All heads turned to face me, a little surprised by my presence.

"Leo?" It was godmom. She was standing in the doorway of the Council building and she was extremely…pregnant. How long was I gone? "My baby boy's back." I blushed as she started walking towards me. Geez, I'm practically a man and she still talks to me like a toddler. When she wrapped her arms around, awkwardly considering her stomach I didn't miss the stone glare Emileah was throwing our way over god mom's shoulder. Someone cleared their throat.

"I hate to interrupt this sentimental moment but we have business to take care of." That's when all attention was thrown back to Emileah. Before I could question why she'd gotten herself into more trouble god mom released and snapped at the circle.

"Don't you dare touch anyone in my pack," no one reacted to her order. "I order you to stand down."

"You can't pull rank on us Leah, we're not your pack."

"I'm not pulling pack rank, I'm pulling Haven rank. You fall under Haven jurisdiction, therefore you fall under my pack. I'm alpha right now so step back! All of you!" They did as she said though none took their gaze off Emileah. I instantly ran to her side noticing how Collin had taken a protective stance next to her. Weird.

"What's going on?" I whispered in her ear. She glanced at me out of her peripheral.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't try to be on my side for this." I was confused at first then realized she must be trying to protect me. When it's obvious it should be the other way around.

"Nonsense, you're my sister, I'll back you no matter what." She rolled her eyes.

"You don't even know what's going on." I shrugged as if it didn't matter. It didn't. It couldn't be that serious, she probably just stepped on one too many toes while I was gone. God mom motioned everyone inside the Council building. I noticed that Nana Sue, Embry, and a few of the former wolves and parents were already stationed around the Elder's table. Claire was red eyed sitting next to a stoic but extremely tense looking Quil. I couldn't find Sahara anywhere, actually, nor her parents. And where was Tre? I didn't notice I stopped moving until a door reopened behind me and smacked into me.

"Sorry man-Leo?!" It was Brady. He must have just been out running. "You came back at probably the worst time. Have you seen-Collin! Oh good you found her." Brady left to join Collin, leaving me confused as to why he sounded so urgent. Who had he found? Emileah? Where had she been? Where was everyone? What the heck was going on?!

"Everyone needs to be seated." Embry spoke in an even voice but I could tell he was angry as well. I went to sit next to Emileah when I noticed that all the LaPush pack sat on one side leaving the remnants of mom's pack on the other side of the room. It vaguely reminded me of the council meeting we had with the Rez Rogues. "We're going to keep this as civilized as possible. As most of you know we are here to discuss the circumstances surrounding Old Quil's murder-" Embry was immediately cut off by shrieking and yelling from both sides of the room.

Old Quil was murdered? But who would-

Then it clicked. Emileah's fists were clenched. She was the only one I noticed not saying a word from our side, besides me. But there's no way. Emileah may be harsh but she's not a murderer of innocents.

"Embry, you have no proof that this was Emileah's doing. You're assuming-"

"Stop blaming her before you have all the facts-"

"Stop taking up for her! She did it and we all know it-"

"Embry, just tell us the verdict!" Everyone was yelling back and forth. Embry finally held up a hand to quiet everyone.

"Quil and I visited his grandfather at the hospital around 2 this afternoon. At 2:35 Emileah came into the room and requested time to visit with Old Quil. His vitals were the same they've been for the past month when we left. At about 2:41 Emileah came back into the waiting room, we rushed in to visit Old Quil because of her distressed expression. Old Quil was pronounced dead at 2:43pm today." Despite my earlier thoughts, I found it hard to not want to shy away from Emileah. Part of me didn't want to believe she could change into a monster but how could you refute such evidence. What could have happened in 6 minutes to cause Old Quil to suddenly give up the ghost without a catalyst?

"Okay," God mom started, "but you seem to be missing the actual crime in that explanation. Old Quil died between 2:35 and 2:43. What happened? How do you know it wasn't coincidence that he passed on at that time."

"Do you hear yourself Leah?" It was the first time Quil spoke. "A coincidence? My grandfather died and your daughter had something to do with it. Period." Everyone was quiet for a while before god mom spoke again.

"Then let her tell us what happened."

"And we are to believe she'll tell the truth?" Embry asked doubtful. "And even if she were to phase and show her memories, you all are biased towards her. We'll never know the truth." He was right. Who in the pack would actually give her up if she was lying and if she isn't how do we prove she's only telling the truth. If only there was a way to force her to-

I wanted to smack myself.

"Mom," she looked back at me, a little surprised I decided to speak. "Put an injunction on her. Force her to only tell the truth." God mom's eyes widened at the proclamation while Emileah's head dropped. It made me nervous, had I accidently handed her over to the wolves? Did she really do it?

"That sounds like an acceptable idea," Embry stated then looked at Emileah. "Emileah, stand before us and explain your case after your mother puts the command on you." She took in a breath before rising. Collin grabbed her arm before she made it to the front of the room.

"Emileah, don't try to fight it." She didn't visibly respond to him though I was unsure if they had a mental conversation going on. When she reached the front she turned around to face everyone.

"Emileah," God mom said, her alpha timbre coming out. "Tell us the truth about what happened when you were with Old Quil."

"I…" I was shocked. Her voice quivered, it was the most un-Emileah like thing for her to do. Was she scared? I was getting more nervous, tempted to hit myself just to get a grip. Her eyes darted around the room, when they settled on Collin. Then she took in a deep breath and stood at full height. "Quil's right, it wasn't a coincidence that Old Quil died when I was with him. It's my fault he died. But" she yelled before there was another uproar. "I'm not his murderer."

"Explain." Embry snapped.

"When I went to Old Quil the first time, I had intended on searching his memories to find out how to read the old language. I found it but my powers, I believed at first, were too much for him. That's why I thought he lost consciousness. When I translated those pages from Sam's cellar," this caused a few gasps, one from myself, "I discovered what had gone wrong. My powers are based on the willingness of the other person. If I force myself to take control in someone else's mind I can hurt them. When I saved Collin, _he_ had total control. When I went to Quil the first time, _I_ had total control."

"And when he died?"

"I gave Old Quil total control before he died." Her statement was met with silence as everyone contemplated the meaning of her words.

"You little she-devil," Quil broke the silence. "Are you really trying to say my grandfather _chose_ to die and expect me to believe that? How disrespectful can you get blaming that on an old man-"

"She's obviously telling the truth," Collin interrupted with a look of immense relief on his face.

"Shut up!" Quil yelled back. Then he turned his blazing eyes back on Emileah before stomping to get right in her face. It was both terrifying and awe inspiring to see Quil shake so much without actually phasing. "You tell me to my face, that my grandfather wanted to die."

"Old Quil was ready to die." I was on my feet when I registered Quil's intention to raise his hand to Emileah who was still holding her ground. I heard a scream and figured it was Claire. Quil had stopped his open hand from actually striking my sister. Collin was being held back by Brady and godmom who was ready to pounce herself. Quil's fingers curled in as if he wanted to strangle the girl in front of him but he froze mid struggle. Emileah managed to show no fear. "He missed Marie." At that, Quil's hand dropped. He let out a breath and took two clumsy steps back from her.

"Who's Marie?" I whispered to god mom. She glanced back at me before answering.

"Old Quil's wife." I accepted the answer. I had never heard of the woman before, how did Emileah know about her?

"I never met her," Quil started, finally having gained control over his self. "She died before I was born but he used to talk about her all the time. How did you-" Quil stopped as he questioned Emileah.

"He showed me some memories of her and said he was ready to go. He wanted to be with her again. I tried to stop him but I couldn't. If I had he would have probably died anyway from my forcefulness," she admitted without looking away from Quil. "I'm sorr-"

"Don't try to apologize."

"I wasn't going to bother apologizing for what I did," she began roughly. "It's done, there's no going back. I was going to apologize for not being able to bring him back. I'm sorry for not being _that_ powerful." Embry broke the silence that followed.

"It's agreed then, that Emileah shouldn't be charged with murder?" Embry was posing the question to the floor but his gaze remained on Quil who had yet to acknowledge him.

"She didn't kill him," Quil finally stated gravely. He turned away from Emileah and joined Claire's side again. Emileah didn't move from her spot. Embry gave a glance at the elder's council. They all rose from their seats to discuss in a back room. Collin and god mom took this moment to approach Emileah. There were whispers coming from the other side of the room, some heard some unheard. All I could focus on was the brokenness of the pack. Half the pack was missing and the present half was falling apart.

"I'm glad you told the truth," I heard Collin say softly into Emileah's ear. She didn't seem to respond, still staring in a daze. Why wouldn't she tell truth, she's relatively innocent. I glanced around the room noticing the varying looks coming from the others. It seemed as if most of the pack wasn't happy with Embry's decision. Luckily, none of the kids were present, neither was Kim. I assumed she was watching them since both Rachel and Paul were here. A few people gave me slight smiles but I couldn't return them given the circumstances.

"So, are you back or just passing through?" I turned back around to face godmom. She was rubbing Emileah's back who was still listening to Collin speaking in her ear.

"I…"I looked down not sure how to continue. I had travelled clear across the country and still had no idea how to even approach this question. What was I supposed to say? I knew when I came back I would have to answer for a lot. Why had I run? Where did I go? Why did I come back now after being gone for months without so much as a word?

Though I figured that Jacob would have at least informed the pack that I was alive. "I'm not sure." Godmom nodded then turned her attention back to Emileah. It was then that the Council returned from the back room. By Nana Sue's expression I knew whatever they came to wasn't good.

"Everyone settle down," Embry said though he didn't bother sitting down when he approached the table. "We've come to a majority decision on the crime." Majority. That meant someone didn't agree with the decision. "While it has been decided that Emileah's name should not be tarnished with being identified as Old Quil's murderer, there's still the matter of punishment for her causing him to be placed in the hospital in the first place." Collin looked as if he wanted to protest but held his tongue when Embry raised a hand. "Therefore," he continued calmly, "we have decided it would be in the best interest of all parties to invoke temporary alienation of Miss Clearwater-Foster from the Quileute Nation-"

"Are you insane, Embry?" Godmom yelled. "You're talking about banishing her!"

"Leah-"

"Don't Leah me,_ Call_. She is 16 years old! You cannot kick her out of her home." Godmom ignored Embry's glare and turned on her mother. "Mom, how can you allow this?" Nana Sue seemed to clench her jaw even more though now she looked near tears.

"I couldn't protect her from everything Leah," Nana Sue began, her voice shaky. "She's lucky Embry took it down to only ten years-"

"Ten years?!" Godmom was back to yelling at Embry. "You're banishing my teenage daughter from her home for an entire decade-"

"Enough," Embry barked quieting everyone in the room. "Leah, if you could settle down for one moment you would realize it's not that bad. She inadvertently caused a man to die. Ten years banishment from a place that in 16 years she's probably only spent two years living max, is not that harsh. I highly doubt she considers this her home. Finally, it is obvious that the discord between my pack and yours is causing strain on everyone." He finished with a huff.

"So now you're banishing all of us?"

"No, I'm removing the source of the problems-"

"So now it's Emileah's fault that your pack feels threatened-"

"I'm doing what I think is best for my pack, and our people. Unlike your pack that has a duty to thousands, my priorities lie with the reservation." Godmom stared at him disbelief.

"You're making a huge mistake Call."

"And why do you say that, outside of it being your daughter as the one in question?" Godmom pointed at Emileah while maintaining eye contact with Embry.

"You alienate that child and you won't have a pack to look over." The statement silenced everyone. Emileah looked mildly surprised at godmom's statement, almost as if she knew something that the rest of us didn't. Embry seemed to consider godmom's words for a moment.

"What's done is done. She's banished unless I see a good reason to overturn the decision. You have three days to vacate LaPush boundaries." Embry slapped a hand on the desk, the sound echoing like a gavel stamping the verdict for a criminal. Everyone on the other side of the room started moving around. I watched godmom stomp off after Embry with Nana Sue following her. Brady stayed near Emileah and I while Collin ran a hand through his hair, by the rippling in his arms I could tell he had reached his limits and was going to phase. Emileah stood frozen, her face expressionless. Brady fidgeted before running off after a shaking Collin who decided it was best to vacate the premises. I edged closer to Emileah not sure what to do about her frozen state of…shock I suppose. I opened my mouth to address her when her radio buzzed. When Emileah made no move to grab it, I answered it for her.

"Emileah's line."

"Leo?!" It was Sahara. "Oh my God, you're back?"

"Yeah," I answered not giving much detail. "Hey where are you?"

"In Ohio still, I've been for a few months with mom and dad. They're co-running grandpa's company." That was all news to me. "Hey where's Emi? Mom, Dad, and I have been getting some weird vibes from the pack mind and I haven't been able to get a hold of her-"

"Listen Sare," I stopped her tangent. "Do you think you could head back our way?"

"Yeah, why? Is something wrong?" I hesitated and glanced at Emileah who had yet to say anything.

"You'll need to get back to Washington in the next 48 to 72 hours…Emileah just got banished from the rez."

* * *

**A/N: **Okay okay...my SUPER BAD! I totally was MIA for a month. But I was busy, and finals are next week but i got alot of work done. Soooo yeah. Also it was really hard to find Leo's voice again, after being in Emileah's view for so long. But here ye are a chapter. *hopes people are still reading* Thanks for reviews, i'll try to reply to the reviews in between exams...since i only have like 2 and they're like days apart lol.


	51. Leonard's Reprise:2

I ended up walking Emileah to the house. I remembered her doing the same thing with me after the Rez Rogue meeting fell through, though this walk seemed a little more depressing and dark. It didn't help that none of the lights were on in the house when we arrived. None of the Haven kids were in, they must have been vacated in fear of my sister's wrath. Oddly enough, she didn't say a word until we made it to the bedroom. She was throwing a few clothes from her drawers into her travel bag.

"I didn't kill him," she whispered without looking at me.

"I know." I kept staring at her back while she kept her head down, putting an enormous amount of concentration into packing.

"Before or after mom put an injunction on me?" I hesitated and that's when she turned to face me. She did a sad half smile when she took in my expression. "That's what I thought." She turned back to packing.

"You have 3 days, you don't have to start packing now," I said not knowing what to say to that comment. I moved closer when she slowed. "I mean Embry may not even stick to what he said-"

"I told him," she spat suddenly. "I told that old man, no one would believe me. No one trusts me, no one-" she stopped. I went to grab her arm but she shrugged me off. "What kind of monster am I, if my own brother isn't even sure I'm innocent-" I grabbed her before she could stop me.

"I'm sorry," I couldn't listen to her. I couldn't watch her breakdown like this. "I'm sorry, I'm stupid, I should have believed you the whole time. It's just when they started talking and giving evidence I started to doubt-" my words caught in my throat. She let me hold her in the crushing hug for a few more moments before she came to her senses and roughly shoved me away.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need them. I don't need anyone," she went back to anger. Her words dripped venom. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not-"

"I said I'm fine," she snapped. I didn't reply. I could tell she wasn't. When I made no move to oppose her, she turned her back on me again and went back to packing. "You can leave now."

"I don't think you should be alone right now." She sighed in aggravation before turning her head slightly so that I could see her profile.

"I don't think you're in any position to comfort me right now. You abandoned me for months and I still had to watch your sorry little behind from this end. Don't think you're forgiven just because you came back." Now I was angry, she was being a grudge holding brat.

"I had issues to work out-"

"No, you were busy doing Clarice," that shut me up real quick. "And running away from your problems. Real class act Leonard."

"Emileah-"

"Back up!" She hissed when I tried reaching for her again. "I don't associate with cowards, especially Uleys." She grabbed the bag and shoved past me through the bedroom door. I was seething. I couldn't believe that she could think so little of me after just a few months. Then again, she had said as much when I left. I couldn't let her just walk away from me.

"Emileah wait just a minute!" I called when I turned and left the room. She was already heading out the door. "Stop!" She didn't. "Emi!" I yelled when I plowed out the front door and saw her starting to take off for the woods. Kicking up my speed I managed to catch her just before she disappeared into the shadows. I grabbed her wrist and held tight despite the wrestling she was doing to get out of my hold. The bag on her shoulder made it difficult. "Stop, just talk to me please!" I begged getting aggravated with her squirming.

"Why," she snapped still trying to get away from me.

"Because you're my baby sister, because I need to know what happened, because I missed you and," I paused to loosen my hold on her wrist. "And you're hurting and I want to help you." When I was sure she wasn't going to try and get away I released her completely. "Tell me how to fix it."

"Tell you how to fix it," she repeated sharply. I nodded. "You can't," she insisted, spitting the words as if they disgusted her.

"I can try," I protested softly. Her breaths were coming out quick and violent.

"Go back three months and not leave. Go back three months and not abandon me. Go back three months and face your fears. Go back and tell Jacob Black he can take his unborn daughter and shove her in a blender for all you care. Tell Leah she's insane for keeping her rapist around like he's some kind of boy toy. Then tell her she's weak for letting herself get raped in the first place. Tell Embry he's a prick, then tell his imprint she's a tramp. Beat the crap out of Wilson and tell Hunter to man up once in a while," She was yelling and I was sure anyone with any kind of sensitive hearing could pick up her screaming. "And when you're done with that, tell your sister Sahara that she's a phony liar and to stop acting like she's so perfect! She's just as miserable as I am, more so because the airhead is trying to put up the façade like she's a clone of her father. Oh and I almost forgot, find someone besides me who gives a crap about the fact that my dad has been missing for this entire time!" She let out a vicious growl at the end, it made me flinch just because it seemed to meld both sounds of a vicious wolf and feral panther together.

Had I still been completely human, I probably would have peed my pants.

She ran off before I could even get a response out, and the tearing of a shirt soon thereafter told me she had phased. I didn't know who she was angry with anymore. Was it me or everyone? Emileah must have had a rough few months for her to blow up like that. I wasn't sure what to do. How could I fix all of that? Was it even possible?

Who was I kidding? I'm a teenage boy that can turn into a wolf… I can't turn back time.

* * *

**A/N: **My bad guys, I got stuck on this story because i realized there are sections where I kind of really need to show Emileah's views but I don't want to switch on and off between Leo and Emileah for the last part of the story. So there may be some more Emileah/Leo "bonding moments" but not sure yet.


	52. Leonard's Reprise:3

"Leo!" I whipped around in the airport terminal. Sahara ran to me with only a carry on and a small luggage case. She sound both excited and frantic which I'm sure contrasted with my look of utter relief.

"Sare, you finally made it," I rushed then took both bags from her with ease. "Brady has Nana Sue's car, he's waiting for us." I watched as Sahara's face lit up at the mention of Brady. I turned to lead us out but stopped suddenly. "Do you have any idea what happened to Emileah?" Sahara's expression fell again. She shook her head after a moment.

"She's been shutting me out for weeks now. I've tried to talk to her but-" she paused and I saw a hint of a foreign emotion flash over her face.

Well it was foreign in terms of Sahara emotions.

"She doesn't think I can empathize. She thinks I'm too weak to handle her problems." My eyes widened when Sahara let a bitter tone slip through. She cleared her throat before continuing. "I know she's hurting but I can't help if she won't let me."

"She thinks you'll just pity her," I clarified, understanding.

"I don't pity her," My eyebrow raised and Sahara caught it. "Okay sometimes I do but a lot of these problems she brings them on herself. She doesn't let us in she's so-" She took a few moments to calm herself down again.

It would really suck for Sahara to lose control in the middle of the airport.

"_Nothin to see here folks, my friend's just a really good magician. A _really_ good magician! Don't worry the large wolf is very tame. No, Sahara don't rip that-"_

"When's the last time you've heard her laugh?" I didn't answer partially because I was reorienting my thoughts from that little fantasy. "And I mean a genuine laugh, one that's not sarcastic or sadistic or anything." I thought long and hard. Frustrated I gave up.

"It doesn't matter now. The wolves are practically pegging her for Old Quil's murder and now that they know she isn't they're doing the next best thing and getting rid of her." Sahara was shaking her head as we finally exited the airport. "We won't hear her laugh for a long while."

"Maybe," she began optimistically. " Maybe this will turn out to be a good thing. It'll give us some time to grow."

"Us?"

"I'm going with her," Sahara stated assuredly. "I refuse to let my sister be banished alone. For however long she's not on the Rez, I won't be there either."

"What about Brady?" I asked, knowing there was no way she could not involve him in this decision.

"He'll understand. And if he doesn't that means I was wrong about him all along." I nodded in agreement but then a thought struck me.

If Sahara was going with Emileah, that means I won't have either of my sisters. Sure I'd gone on my own for a little while but I was finally back only to realize I was losing everyone all over again. I ran my hand through my hair.

"Why did you come back Leo," Sahara asked almost as if she had been reading my mind. I opened my mouth to give a vague answer when a horn beeped at us. It was Brady. Sahara immediately ran to him when he stepped out of the parked car. I chuckled when he caught her and she wrapped her legs around him. She always was so over the top when it came to Brady.

"I missed you so much," he whispered but I still picked it up. She murmured the same sentiment. I was glad they only pecked each other on the lips quickly. I tossed Sahara's luggage into the trunk of the car before hopping into the backseat given Sahara was already situated next to Brady in the front.

I remained silent most of the way from Seattle back to LaPush. I worried over Emileah mainly. She had run out on me almost two days ago. God mom was constantly in and out of Embry's house, Quil's place, and Nana Sue's so much that I hardly had seen her since the council meeting.

"Don't worry bud," Brady said watching me through the rear view. "I'm sure Collin is watching after her," he finished as if he could read my mind. Though the sullen way I was probably looking didn't leave much to guess about what was bothering me. I nodded though I wasn't sure I could agree. I caught Sahara's lingering gaze on me as well but she quickly turned her attention back to Brady as she continued talking about her many new found relatives in Ohio.

How had things got so bad? I'd had my own misadventures while away but the state of my family was far worse than it had ever been, well far worse than I'd ever seen it. Maybe this was how bad it was before, when the packs weren't cooperating, when Jacob Black was an alpha. I was sure my hair was frizzy by now from how many times my fingers threaded through the strands anxiously. It didn't help that I had this sudden feeling of dread gnawing at me the closer we got home.

Home.

Had LaPush ever been home to me? Had it been to Emileah? I was sure it hadn't but it was the only tangible place that connected her to her mother. Now she was shunned. It wasn't a change in convenience but it had to sting somewhere. To know that home didn't want you. But she would be herself and hide it and pretend it didn't bother her…wouldn't she? Maybe not, maybe she's changed so much that she'll run into my room crying and sobbing about how life isn't fair and how she doesn't deserve this punishment, then she'll run to Embry's house and beg his forgiveness all while complimenting Tenia on how good a homemaker she is.

Fat chance.

If I know even an inkling of my sister, a day and a half from now she's gonna walk off the reservation with a bag on her shoulder, head held high and she's gonna give everyone on the rez behind her the middle finger.

My stomach lurched suddenly. I came back to my surroundings and found myself inside the car still, Brady already unloading Sahara's bags and we were in the driveway to the haven house. And I could smell a lot of people packed inside.

I jumped out the car and ran into the front door. Sahara had already made it in. She was hugging a bleary eyed Claire but seemed to be concentrating across the crowded room where godmom was apparently holding her own with only Nana Sue at her side. I crossed over to them quickly, Sahara following suit once she disentangled herself from Claire.

"If you know what's good for you, you will get out of my house right now," Godmom warned. Most of the guys present were Embry's pack. It looked like they were still hankering for a fight.

"This isn't your house, Leah. It's Sam's. Which means it belongs to Leonard, not you," one of the boys corrected after catching sight of me. "So if Leo wants us to leave, we will." I was caught by surprise but opened my mouth to echo godmom's previous demand when the guy kept talking. "But you don't expect him to do that considering he's part of Jake's pack and considering Jake's idle status as alpha, all his wards fall under Embry's jurisdiction. I'm sure he'd want some bonding time with his pack," he finished smugly.

When I saw Hunter standing in a corner looking sullen, I realized what they were doing. They were drawing battle lines. Everyone was picking sides and from Claire's distraught expression it was clear she was having loyalty issues, no matter how tight those imprint binds were tugging. God mom looked at me, almost unsure.

Did she really think I wouldn't side with her? I had run away for a few months. I didn't turn traitor.

Then Wilson and pre-wolf Hunter 's faces flashed in my mind and I realized that's exactly what she thought. In terms of the packs, I had gone traitor. They wanted me to choose but they all had disdain for me. Maybe that's why that little comment about me being a ward, like I'm some ward of the state, stung more than it should have.

"I-" I had started to speak but was cut off again.

"Leo doesn't belong to Black's pack," godmom said sharply. That earned her a few confused looks in the room especially from me. She caught my gaze before continuing. "Why waste his time lollygagging in that dead end pack when he has his own to take care of?" I was about to agree when I realized what she had just said.

My own?

As in my own pack?

Like the one I own?

I shook my head assuming that she was just bluffing for my benefit.

"Leonard doesn't have his own pack! He's just a pup," someone yelled voicing my own thoughts. Godmom smirked as if everyone around her was idiots.

"Pup schmuck, he's an alpha and he falls under my alliance meaning he trumps your command any day, _third_." Apparently they took that as law and left soon thereafter albeit unhappily.

"Thanks godmom, for getting me out of that tiff."I chuckled. "I can't believe they actually believed that whole lie about me being an alpha." I laughed again until I realized no one else was. "Um…what?"

"I wasn't lying."

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews. I'll try to get back on the ball with replying after this update.


	53. Leonard's Reprise:4

After staring at my godmother for two and half minutes in shock I found myself being dragged off to a back room. I barely noticed when Brady whipped away a rug nailed to the floor, or the dust that rose when he opened the floorboards to reveal a door. Sahara peered down into it and started coughing. That's when I snapped back to life.

"What do you mean you weren't lying?" I was being loud but my slight overreaction was warranted. She just told an entire room of veteran shifters that I Leo Uley, shifter for less than half a year was the alpha of a pack that I had yet to meet. I half expected all the little Haven kids to come running up from that hidden cellar and godmom going surprise here's your baby pack.

"I can't believe I didn't see it earlier but it wasn't until Tamyra told me about something one of the girls said about you months ago in the Haven school." She laughed. I didn't know what was so funny. Apparently Sahara was in on the joke as well.

"Oh Marian, I remember what she said," Sahara supplied and godmom nodded.

"The shy red headed girl with glasses that shifts into a gazelle?" Brady asked.

"Yeah," Sahara answered getting excited then turned to face me. "She always did have the biggest crush on you-"

"Okay," godmom said loudly bringing attention back to her. "Like I was saying, it should have been obvious to me but it wasn't. You were conceived when Sam was alpha still. Even though he wasn't a blood alpha he still held that status. Therein, you being born to an alpha, makes you a blood alpha. The signs were all there. The way you started acting out. How you went to the Rogues. Even how you left. Your wolf is looking to lead and with so many alphas around, it's been getting territorial." Godmom placed a hand on my shoulder though her arm was nearly completely outstretched because of the distance her stomach put between us. "I'm sorry that I've been smothering you, but that can be fixed, if you want to of course." It was strange. I was having a dumb moment. I followed her logic but I was missing the big picture of what she was saying. So I told her so.

"What exactly are you saying?"

"You're separating from Jacob, from me, and starting your own pack." My eyes went wide.

"But why?" I didn't understand. Why was she trying to get rid of me so quickly? Was it because she was losing Emileah that she didn't see the point in keeping me around because I wasn't really her-

"We can't stay here," she whispered. "I was fighting Embry tooth and nail to overturn that sentence on emileah but the truth is, she needs to leave. We all do. I know you just got back Leo, but there's something coming. Emileah spent over a month trying to figure out what I've sensed for years." I was lost again. What had Emileah discovered? Godmom caught onto my expression. "Come down here." She motioned us down the steps into the dark dank cellar with one light bulb dangling from its ceiling. I could see a folding chair and what looked like hundreds of discarded ball point pens. It was evident someone had been down here recently but the dust was almost unbearable.

"What is all this stuff?" I asked touching some of the fragile pieces of yellowed paper.

"Welcome to Emileah's living space for the better part of a month and a half." Godmom said angrily.

"She was studying the legends, the written, stuff, the stories that didn't survive through oral tellings over the years." Sahara said as she lifted a book. "I knew she was doing some sort of research, she would converse with me sparingly to ask my opinion, to cross reference but she never told me in great detail what she was doing."

"But how did she get this stuff," I asked. It didn't make sense, these records, this stuff that supposedly hadn't survived obviously had somehow. "Where did it come from?"

"Your father."

My father.

For someone who has been dead 16 years he sure has been mentioned a lot this night.

"How did he get it?" I wasn't expecting anyone to have an answer, maybe some outraged statement about how he was holding out on everyone for higher than thou reason. I saw how godmom and Brady glanced at each other.

"We've been thinking," she began. "And we think that Brady and Collin might have been onto something back when they were spying on Sam." That intrigued me. This was information from when Collin and Brady actually were teenagers. "Do you want to explain?" godmom asked Brady. He shrugged.

"Collin would probably be better at this, it was mostly his idea but uh pretty much we kept track of what Sam was doing at night. And at first it seemed like he had the same routine over and over but what we didn't catch onto was that his exact location was unaccounted for about twenty three minutes almost every night. We thought he was sleep, well he was but he wasn't in his bedroom."

"Give him a run through." Brady looked annoyed almost torn between being embarrassed about what he was going to relay.

"If he didn't have patrol he was usually in bed by 11:30. At around 12:15 he would wake up go pee. At 12:17 he'd make some tea to drink. Don't ask me why he drinks before he goes to bed after having peed," Brady shook his head as if he were completely dumbfounded by the action. "Then at 12:30 he'd go to sleep. We would hear snores," he added as if we needed proof that he was asleep. "But at 12:53 he would wake up for a few minutes before he was sleep again. In that few minutes he moves to his bedroom. We think that Sam was sleepwalking those 23 minutes."

"And they think he was writing some of these documents," godmom cut in.

"But how did he even know about-"

"Emily," she stated before I could finish. "I'm almost positive your mother was supplying him with this information, after she died." Well that was unexpected. Godmom suddenly turned away from me and towards the top of the stairs. "But I'm not the best one to explain that now am I?" Her hands went to her hips and standing at the top of the steps was Emileah. And she looked fierce.

"Emileah," Sahara said in awe but managed to control herself and not jump our sister like she did Brady at the airport.

"Glad you finally decided to show up," godmom said trying to sound stern but I caught a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Imprinting is soul binding," Emileah began, ignoring all the statements directed at her save one. "It's not just finding your soul mate, it's binding the two souls together. For eternity, whether or not they accept it." At that point, another figure appeared at the top of the stairs, and I realized it was Collin. When Emileah joined us I realized she had just phased considering her long uncut locks were in disarray and she was wearing only a bra and her phasing pants. "When Emily died, it was like half of Sam died with her. He was still connected to her, that's why it would seem like he was dead to everyone still here alive on earth. "

"She was communicating with him from beyond the grave?" Sahara asked. Emileah nodded. "That's so romantic!" she gushed earning her a few eye rolls in return. I turned my attention back to godmom.

"But that's not possible," I protested. "People can't just talk to ghosts whenever they want to."

"When Tamyra and I were dimprinted, we had a temporary binding of souls. Because she was possessed by that ancient spirit Naptra, we had sort of a gate into that realm. It's why I had such vivid encounters with both your mother and my father in my dreams. And we think the same happened to Sam."

"That's all interesting," Emileah said harshly. "But what are you getting at?" Godmom turned to study her for a moment before addressing all of us again.

"It means all of this is true," she said gesturing at the items in the room. "That book you translated, it's true. Something's coming and we all have to be ready for it. And my keeping you all here, safe and sound isn't what's needed. We're leaving. But not together."

"What?" was the protest from nearly everyone. Godmom held up a hand to silence us.

"Did you find that missing page Emileah?" She looked surprised by godmom's question before shaking her head. Collin placed a large book down on the table, and I assumed it was the one that everyone had said my sister translated. Godmom opened it up to a page where there was place holder signaling a page was missing. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out a very worn piece of paper. When she finished unfolding it she placed it in the spot where the missing page was. At first all I saw was a picture of some figures but it was Emileah who caught it first.

"It's us." Godmom nodded sadly. "I mean, these are insanely accurate pictures of older versions of us. Me, you two." She pointed at me and Sahara. We joined her looking over the picture. It was like a collage of people in pastel. There were others I didn't recognize.

"Look it's the quads," Sahara pointed out and I almost gasped. Paul's boys as adults, it was obvious. It was hard to tell who was who but their corner of the picture had two of them standing in identical positions in human form while the other two were standing a little behind in wolf form. They were all the same color as their dad.

That's when I saw _her_. She was pictured standing between two other men I couldn't recognize but I still remembered that face. That face that wasn't even born yet. Jacob's daughter. My imprint. I didn't say a word. I still hadn't told anyone besides Emileah about what I'd seen in Alaska just after my first phase. I wasn't ready yet.

"What does this all mean?" Collin asked from behind us.

"Turn it over," godmom whispered. Emileah did as asked. Sahara gasped at this picture. I held my breath. It was similarly portrayed but the few people pictured were either in a state of agony or dead. There were bleeding wolves with their injured comrades hunched over them. None of the faces were very distinct but it was clear what this picture was saying.

"This is a possible future," I stated and godmom nodded once again. "We have to stop this, that's why you're sending us away."

"You have to learn how to take care of yourselves," she clarified. "That's why you're getting your own pack." Emileah's head snapped up. Apparently godmom hadn't filled her in on this part yet. Godmom placed a hand on either of our shoulders. "We can't stay here any longer but with these babies, I'm still incapacitated. I was hoping you could take up the baton and resume our jobs as the policing force. Especially since over half of my pack is MIA. It'll give you some experience and let you learn and grow together." She explained. "Do you accept?"

"Yes," we answered at the same time. Godmom smiled before digging her nails into our shoulders. Emileah didn't flinch. I managed to stifle my cry of pain into a barely audible whisper.

Barely being the key word because I swear I heard Brady chuckle. I mean she _did_ just draw blood.

"I had to release Emileah's panther from our pack," godmom explained as she removed her sharp fingernails and produced a towel to wipe her hands clean. Don't worry about us godmom, I just have blood streaming down my arm. Gosh that stings. "And you needed to be ripped from Jake's pack."

"Congratulations Leo," Emileah said. "You survived a Blood Ceremony." It took a minute for the words to settle.

Then it clicked.

"You made both of us alpha?" then "Why couldn't I have just decided to come into my own like Jacob did since I'm a blood alpha?"

"Do you really think you would have figured out how to do that?" Emileah asked scathingly.

"Yes, you'll need to have a panther type hierarchy for your pack," Godmom said, eyes still focusing on the towel in her hands. She tossed it back to Brady then looked at us. "Leo, I have complete faith in your abilities as an alpha but let's be sensible, Emileah has a lot more experience. And Sahara as well." My sisters nodded in affirmation but I noticed a frown tugging at Emileah's mouth. "That being said, I know panther pack logistics and to run around without a complete leadership set is just asking for trouble so," godmom hesitated. "I'm requesting that you take Collin as your beta." I held back my frown. My immediate thought was to ask Hunter if he wanted the position but godmom had other ideas. "You don't have to agree to it but I would feel better if you took him with you."

Aka she wanted him as a chaperone.

For a minute there, I thought she was actually giving us some real freedom.

I glanced at Emileah to see her reaction. She realized I was looking at her and turned to the side slightly and shrugged. "He's your beta," she stated as if she didn't care. I turned back to godmom.

"I guess that should be fine," it wasn't the best of situations considering I didn't get along so well with Collin but I tried not to sound too disappointed considering he was still in the room. Godmom nodded.

"Collin, Brady, Sahara, give us a minute," godmom said as if it were a request but they knew it was an order. The three filed up the steps and out of the cellar, leaving, my sister, my godmom, and myself. "I have another request to make."

"You sure are making a lot of _demands_ mother," Emileah stated coldly. Godmom ignored her.

"I need you to absorb the policing pack duties, if you can find anything on those missing kids," I blinked rapidly in surprise. I hadn't realized that situation still hadn't been resolved. It had been months since the first incident.

"And what are you going to be doing?" Emileah asked, frustrated but I didn't know by what yet. "Since you're dishing out orders-"

"First of all I'm going to give birth to these babies."

"And then?" Godmom hesitated before answering. "What about dad?" Emileah snapped before giving her a chance to respond.

"You leave that to me."

"No." It was an outright refusal. Even though many times she went against our mother, she never did it so straight forwardly. Neither of them looked as if they were going to back down though godmom looked furious that Emileah was defying her.

"No?"

"No," she repeated. Godmom narrowed her eyes before grabbing Emileah roughly by the shoulder.

"You will listen to me on this," godmom said angrily. "You will not go after your father."

"You said you were requesting for me to do your job." I felt a pang of jealousy when she didn't include me in that statement. "I'm refusing. I want to go after dad."

"It's no longer a request then, it's an order," she snapped pointing a finger in Emileah's face.

"I'm not in your pack anymore,_ Leah_," Emileah sneered. "I don't have to do anything you say-" Godmom lost her cool some and shook her.

"Don't forget who you are talking to, little girl. I'm still your mother." Emileah kept quiet but it was obvious she was seething. "Someone else will track down Tre," she replied.

"No one else cares," Emileah spat back Godmom released her and started up the cellar steps. "Who's going to do it?" Emileah yelled realizing godmom refused to listen to her anymore.

"Not you," she called over shoulder and was gone.

* * *

**A/N: **Those were some great reviews from last chapter sooooo I think I'm gonna answer them here! *clears throat*

**hilja: **those are some interesting observations on Emileah especially considering the one thing Leah has been worried about for the longest is failing as a parent. Also some of the questions about Leo were probably answered this chapter and as for his qualifications to be an alpha of the new policing pack...well that's up in the air for now.

**X5-452: **haha yeah Leo and Emileah are related but...well...all I'm gonna say is you're not too far off point *wink* And the stuff that happened while he was gone will be revealed as time goes on because Leo is famous for his flashbacks lol.

**CallmeEmbrys: **I'm glad you find that Emileah is more human. And yes...you will find out...or actually you may have this chapter.

**Little Emily: **Embry's kid, I'm still coming to that because technically the only person banished is Emileah. Leah's free to stay on the Rez so don't worry I haven't forgotten about the babies.

**toshii519**: I'm glad you liked ch51 and yes, as of this chapter Leo is officially an alpha.

As always thanks for the reviews guys! And this chapter may have been confusing so hit me up with questions which I will attempt to answer without giving much away. :)


	54. Leonard's Reprise:5

I'd only been back in Washington for three days, and I was already getting ready to leave again. I had left with basically nothing, came back with the same. It felt weird to have to pack my necessities into a small bag. Emileah had been avoiding everyone. If she wasn't holed up in the room she was out in the forest somewhere. And if she was in the room she was either dead silent or yelling out the window at anyone who got within feet of the front yard.

I was starting to prefer her when she was running in the woods.

Most people knew to stay clear of her but not everyone allowed themselves to be pushed away so easily. Which is why I was currently roaming the Rez with an aggravated Claire. When Claire showed up and demanded that she see Emileah, the two once best friends had…_words_ with each other.

Claire seriously needed to learn when she was in over her head. I had to physically barricade the front door with my body because I knew that if she set foot in the house, there was no guarantee Emileah would refrain from destroying more than just the interior decorating.

"She makes me so mad," Claire grumbled as she put a lot of extra force into kicking a rock on the ground. It went flying and dinged off of someone's parked car. "She won't even let me state my peace."

"You gotta give her time Claire, you know how she is."

"Time," she whirled on me screaming. "You guys are leaving tonight and I haven't had a word with her since before Old Quil got put in the hospital." I remained silent not wanting to aggravate her more. "Ten years, Leonard. That's how long she's banished for. I know Quil's upset but she's still my friend. I can't let her leave and the last words we said to each other was go to Hel-"

"It's not like she's dead," I stated cutting off her rant. "I'm sure she'll call you when she can and you could always come visit sometimes." She scoffed.

"Right, like Quil will let me off the Rez to visit her." She kept walking a little past me but I stopped.

"Quil doesn't own you." It bothered me, what she had said. As if she was still a child. Sure she was much younger than him age wise but he was marrying her, not pledging lifelong parentage. "You should be allowed to go where you want."

"You guys really are brother and sister," Claire said while shaking her head a little maliciously. "She said the exact thing." I looked at her confused, there had been a lot of yelling and screaming between the two of them, I hadn't made out that argument though. "A while ago," she clarified.

"It's true though," I muttered convinced that it was a sensible statement. "He shouldn't be able to control you so much." I grimaced. It had been a lesson I learned recently. I'd sworn that I wouldn't control the girl that I fell in love with. Protect her, but not control.

"Do you know why Emileah ever bothered to become friends with me?" she asked and I found myself interested in the answer to the question. I assumed they had just fell into one another over the years so to speak. My silence answered her. "Because I was the only one who bothered to try and fight the imprint. Because I knew that I was growing dependant. I couldn't function without Quil my entire life. I told her that. I told her that it's different being imprinted upon your entire life versus the others like Kim and Rachel and Em-" she stopped unsure of how I would react to my birth mother being brought into the conversation. "They were at the age where people normally find love. I've been smothered my whole life. I love Quil, I do with all my being and he always has offered to give me space, to let me become independent but I'm failing. I need to be my own person before I can totally be the grown-up wife and partner he needs."

"But you're getting married," I stated more as an observation. "That means you have to feel ready for this on some level."

"I thought I did," she said somberly. "But I think I'm gonna postpone the wedding for a while." She laughed but I could hear the quivering in her voice as tears flooded her eyes. "I don't even have my main maid of honor anymore." I sighed and grabbed her to pull her in for a hug. She finally let her tears fall. She was sobbing. She had been crying a lot lately. I rubbed her back as her small body seemed to convulse in my arms. My thoughts drifted to Emileah and how being around her had warped my view of how many females acted. I'd never seen her cry. Maybe that's why I appreciated the contrast between her and Sahara. She cried, she showed emotion, sometimes too much of it in my opinion. They were two extremes. And then there's girls like Claire. She hangs tough for as long as she can but once the stress reaches the brink, she collapses.

I didn't know how to comfort the middle ground. Not really.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed but it was muffled in my chest. "I'll stop acting like such a baby." She pulled away, and patted my arm. She attempted to smile but it didn't work considering her still freely running tears. "Emileah would have smacked me by now." That forced a laugh from both of us but it died quickly as the gravity of the situation fell on us again. Claire's eyes went out of focus, as if she were in a daze. "She'll never forgive me," she whispered and shook her head slightly.

"Who?" I asked dumbly knowing very well who she was talking about.

"Because I didn't choose her side. Because I didn't believe her. I'm her best friend, I shouldn't have automatically believed the others before hearing her out. I should have gave her the benefit of the doubt."

"Just give her time," was all I said. Truthfully, I was pretty sure Claire had a greater chance of getting forgiveness from Emileah than I was.

* * *

"Hunter stopped by," Sahara told me when I returned to the house. She was reading a magazine. I sniffed around realizing no one else was home.

"Oh yeah?" I asked detachedly but I felt guilty for not having sought my friend out. I didn't even know what to say. Hey man, I've been gone for months but now I'm leaving for years. I would've taken you with me but my mom said I couldn't have you as beta. Sorries. "Where's Emileah?"

"Woods with Collin." I raised an eyebrow in speculation. I still hadn't heard the word on their…status. Sahara saw my look and shrugged. Apparently she hadn't either. "It's probably a good thing Collin is coming with us, that'll give them some time to strengthen their bond," she reasoned.

"Or make them hate each other more," I countered then groaned after remembering the stressful conversation with Claire. "Can we please not talk about anything imprint related right now," I whined. Sahara looked at me for a moment before returning back to her mag. "Have you packed?" I asked her after a moment. She simply nodded without looking at me. I was tempted to ask how she was dealing with having to be separated from Brady yet again then remembered my request to not talk about imprinting stuff. Brady had agreed though, to stay behind with godmom. She had said one of the guys needed to stay as acting alpha male just in case of any problems or communication she had to make with any Haven packs.

"Why'd you leave?" Sahara asked ripping me from my thoughts. She still wasn't looking at me and I realized that after taking in her tense muscles that she was angry. It was an emotion very rarely seen coming from Sahara but I was certain that that's what she was now. And with me.

"I needed to get away." It was obvious she wasn't buying that answer. "Do you really want to get into this now?" I asked annoyance slipping heavily into my tone. She flipped a few more pages in her magazine with more force than necessary while still avoiding looking at me.

"Oh I'm sorry," she said not sounding apologetic at all. "That I'm such a bother in your life."

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to," her fingers clenched around the magazine, crumpling it almost completely. "You made it very clear when you ran off and I can guarantee without giving me a second thought. Without even telling me where you were going-"

"If you hadn't noticed, I didn't tell anyone. I was in a rush to get out of there. No one got a good bye," I nearly yelled, still in shock that it was Sahara I was fighting with.

"You talked to Emileah," she said bitterly. It sound so strange coming from her.

"She chased me down," I argued. She opened her mouth to say more but snapped it shut. Then I noticed the trembling. Even if Sahara was seen as the more peaceful of the two she was still a shifter, and brand new wolf and no matter how many years one had under their belt, that temper always got the best of you from time to time. As if on cue, she slammed the magazine down and sprinted through the door. I instantly felt bad even though I wasn't sure how I had provoked her.

"Sare-"

"I'm fine," she snapped before rushing out the door. I sighed loudly as I slumped down into a chair.

If this was going to be the beginning of our pack, it's going to be a long ten years.

* * *

I had made my rounds. It felt like I was leaving for Alaska all over again though the good-byes were much more somber. Emileah refused to see anyone except for a few of the Haven kids, who I found had been moved to another haven house on the rez during the past few weeks. Godmom insisted on driving us to the LaPush border. The remnants of our pack loaded up into the mini van. We made it to the border with 15 minutes to spare before Emileah's official start time for her alienation. We exited the van there. Godmom moved to get out, Brady was there to help her exit. I couldn't tell if she and Emileah had made up after their argument in the cellar. Godmom approached us as we stood to the side of the van.

"You're heading south first. To the Olympia checkpoint."

"We know," Emileah snapped. I guess they hadn't patched that up. Godmom sighed while attempting to ignore her outburst.

"Close up shop there. We haven't been getting activity from there since the attack but who knows if Tre got around to doing that before he-" she paused. Then shook her head. "Anyway after that I radioed ahead to the Haven in Nevada. It's a little hard to find but it's near the Arizona border."

"We went there six years ago," Collin stated. "The reptile Haven is there," he added with a laugh. Godmom confirmed.

"You remember how to get there then," she said mainly to assure us. "Their authority there can tell you about the Fortuna Foothills checkpoint. That's where the first kidnapping was."

"How long ago?" Emileah asked as she pulled out her radio from her bag. She brought up the gps feature. I found it amazing that even though she was ticked off at godmomo she could still hold a professional tone whent it came down to business.

"Seven or eight months I believe." Emileah nodded as she saved something into the device. "And if you need to head farther south towards the cali gulf, radio me before you do. Last I heard, Clarice was having problems reaching an agreement with a group down there. I don't want you stepping into trouble."

"We're the policing pack for all intents and purposes," Emileah argued. "Shouldn't we be the ones to step into that trouble?" Godmom looked at Emileah almost as if she were sizing her up.

"Your alpha male has been phasing for 2 and a half months. And you two," she pointed to Emileah and Sahara. "Are still unstable in your new shifts. I'd hardly trust Collin to go down there. Think logically Emileah, you're not ready for that yet." Emileah growled at godmom in anger. I was nervous that she would lose control and attack her pregnant mother but godmom was completely unaffected by the hostility. She turned back to me. "You'll need to leave soon, Emileah's alpha is already going out of control," she stated as if Emileah wasn't standing two feet away from her. I realized godmom was purposefully antagonizing Emileah. My sister had enough apparently as she let out a vicious snarl before grabbing her bag, intending on leaving without waiting for anymore instructions from godmom. She followed her with her eyes. "Don't lose it out there Emileah," godmom called then rolled her eyes.

"Let's go Sahara," Emileah barked already ordering her beta around. Sahara quickly grabbed her bag, attached it to her back, gave Brady a hug and a kiss and started following Emileah down the road.

"Is there anything else we should know," I asked godmom knowing Emileah would try to summon me soon once her patience ran out.

"Not for this initial leg of the trip," she answered. With nothing left to say, she pulled me in for a hug then turned to Collin. "You guard my kids out there."

"With my life alpha," Collin said seriously but with a smile playing on his face. Godmom smirked in return before patting me on the back. Collin went to say his parting words to Brady which included some fist pumping and insults. "Go on before your sister actually does kill someone." Godmom got back into the driver seat of the van chuckling to herself.

I didn't think the joke was funny at all.

* * *

**A/N: **All of these were supposed to be separate chaps but they were all really short so look...a super chap!


	55. Leonard's Reprise:6

It took everyone all of twenty minutes to discover that although our pack had the hierarchy of a panther pack, it didn't have the continual pack mind. Sahara had gone into shock when she realized that she couldn't hear her parents' thoughts anymore. Collin was upset that he couldn't link with Brady. I, of course was unaffected considering I never experienced that type of pack mind before. I knew for a fact Emileah was relieved that she could no longer hear anyone until she phased. I guess it was easier for her to keep secrets from us. We had run in wolf form all the way to the Olympia checkpoint. This would be my first time seeing it.

"Looks like no one touched it," Emileah remarked when we came to a stop outside of a small cabin. It looked no more conspicuous than an outhouse you might see on a nature trail. "Dad must have never made it back this way." Collin walked up to the door to open it while Sahara ran a perimeter.

"It's clear," Collin said once he popped his head in quickly and found it empty. I followed Emileah into the two room cabin. The room we entered served as a kitchen with a refrigerator, oven, sink, and counter. There was a small table that had two chairs in the corner. The other room held two cots. I realized there was only one window in the cabin and it was in the bedroom area. "So what do you think?" Collin asked. It took me a moment to realize he was questioning me. Truthfully I had been worried about Collin. He had been phasing longer than I had been alive yet here he was being beta to a kid that only months ago he had been taunting on a regular basis.

And he was actually yielding to my command without complaint. Granted I'd only been his alpha for about a day but still…

"I don't know," I began honestly. "Is the scent still here?"

"There was no scent," Emileah corrected as she lifted the corner of a mattress on one of the cots. "We burned the bodies of the two panther guards after we realized their scent was diminished. That was how Quil realized that whoever killed them had been cloaking their own smell."

"And in turn was partially cloaking the panthers as well," Collin finished for her.

"Who was the kid that went missing?" I asked thinking that maybe it would give us some type of clue.

"13 year old boy. Name Jonathan Freeman. Shift is a hawk."

"You'd think he could have just flown to get away," I remarked.

"Yeah, well whoever caught him already has plenty of tricks up their sleeves , what with their disappearing act," Emileah said.

"Do we know for sure that the kid was kidnapped?"

"No, but there was no trace of him," Emileah explained. "And we got Carlisle to run the blood. All the blood belonged to the panthers." At that point Sahara strolled in, pulling on her tank top.

"Perimeter's clear right now," she said and I didn't let it slip my notice that she refused to look at me, focusing her attention only on Emileah. Collin in turn ran out probably to take over her patrolling despite Sahara's assurances. "Anything yet?"

"Still going over what we already know," Emileah answered and it was at this point that I realized how out of the loop I was. It had been that same feeling I got frequently while with the panthers. They had a system that ran like clockwork. It had taken me a few weeks to catch onto it, but people just always knew what to do and when to do it. It was a pattern that they all fell into easily and I had absolutely no idea about its inner workings. Watching Collin slip out without being told to take Sahara's place as if it were as natural as a reflex really put a somber cloud over me. My sisters and Collin-my pack- had been doing this for years. I was the alpha and I was the noob.

What was my godmother thinking?

"Hey Leo, you there?" Emileah was snapping her fingers in front of my face with an annoyed expression on hers. Obviously she had been trying to get my attention while they were speaking and I had completely zoned out.

"Yeah, what?" She rolled her eyes and I caught a slight frown cross Sahara's face as well.

"We were just saying that it would be best if we just headed straight to Nevada now because this shack isn't going to give us any more answers than what we had months ago," she re-explained with an uncharacteristic calm.

"Right," I started readily agreeing with whatever she said. "Sounds good." Emileah just shook her head in what I could only guess to be disappointment and amusement. The two walked past me and out the building. I heard Emileah call out for Collin and his four paws could be heard approaching the area shortly thereafter. I decided to finally exit as well. The night air hit me and I spared one last glance in the direction of LaPush though I was much too far to even make it out. I had been gone for months but the entire time I was gone, deep down I knew I would come back.

But this time, I wasn't so sure.

* * *

**A/N: **And thus we reach the beginning of the end...(granted i don't know how many chaps it'll be til the end but this is the beginning of the final um era of the story)


	56. Leonard's Reprise:7

"Yeah Leah radioed us about three days ago." We had reached the lizard Haven on the Nevada-Arizona border about a day and a half after Olympia. The half day had resulted from Collin getting us lost trying to find the especially hidden Haven. Their amenities weren't oversized Quileute friendly and we found ourselves ducking more times than not as we traversed their half cave abode. The leader-I mean ambassador- was a man that looked about twenty but told us he was born in 1920. As he guided us around I found myself wondering if I really had ADD since it was becoming increasingly hard to keep focus on everything he was saying. "-just after our shipment was scheduled to arrive."

"Same thing happened with us." Good thing Collin was here. "Fortuna Foothills imports in from a Mexico Haven you said?" The lizard leader tapped the cigarette in his mouth before inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"Yeah sometimes. But it's not actually part of our agreement."

"What do you mean not part of your agreement?" Emileah asked and her tone immediately told me the guy had said something she didn't like. "Our reports show that you should be receiving your shipments imported from Mexico City."

"Yes baby doll that's what the reports say," he took another drag of his cigarette. "But Mexico City is far. The gulf packs can get me my supplies quicker and easier."

"The gulf packs aren't in concordance with Haven policies-"

"They will be in a few months-"

"They aren't right now," Emileah's voice was raised and I instantly found myself wanting to calm the dispute. "And they haven't been previously even though you have obviously been dealing underhanded with them for some time now if-"

"Underhanded?" Now he looked angry. He flicked the cigarette to the ground as he turned to face her. I noticed Sahara and Collin both get closer to Emileah automatically. "We're an underground illegal chain of _mythical_ creature groups trying to keep our own safe and invisible from human eyes and ears all while not raising eyebrows with the government." He argued with a hiss that could only be attributed to his reptilian side. "Now I know Clarice does her best to keep it secret in a way that we know enough to keep in contact but not enough that we can oust each other but I've been around long enough _deary_ to know there is no way we were founded on a squeaky clean record." Emileah didn't respond probably torn between agreeing with the guy and chewing him out for talking bad about the group he was part of.

"Actually," Sahara spoke up drawing all eyes to her. "The money side is being taken care of, we have some very strong contacts making sure that the Haven continues to run and to keep the North American governments out of our business." I was pleased to find that we had all schooled our faces to not look surprised by her admission even though I'm sure no one knew how she knew that. "Hopefully that'll give you enough faith to remain trustworthy to the Haven organization and not feel that you have to sustain your jurisdiction by alternative means." The leader finally consented.

"Fine I'll break off my ties to the gulf for now," he said with a wave of his hand. He turned around and continued walking down some dark makeshift corridor. "But that still brings me back to the Fortuna incident."

"You said the kid was a Hilla-"

"Gila monster," he corrected irritably. "Like me. Most of us are actually. Nothing special, he just happens to be the one taken. Clarice radios me, tells me I have a babe coming. When the kid and escort don't show up three days after the scheduled time-"

"Three days?" Emileah asked with disgust tinting her voice. "You waited three days before going to check out if something happened with the kid." The guy shrugged defensively.

"Hey not all of us have enemies lying in wait, there's no one out there just patrolling for the fun of it," he sneered and we all tensed knowing it was a jab at the LaPush wolves. "We live in a cave, got that? That's all the protection we've ever needed. So excuse me for not having the means or man power to know the exact hour the kid disappeared." Sahara slipped a hand onto Emileah's shoulder to calm her. I was surprised Collin hadn't said a word to chastise the man for mouthing off at his imprint but the continual low hum of growl that seemed to be on loop coming from him was answer enough."We got lucky though, a few of the guys and I ventured down there to see what was what and the escort happened to still be alive."

"We were told all the escorts in the incidents were killed," Collin said with a little shock.

"He did, those jawns are nothing if not thorough. We leave him for a few hours to search the area and come back to find his scent muffled and a plastic bag over his head. But he did tell us a little before he was killed."

"I don't understand," Emileah yelled angrily. "You left the panther escort to die in the cabin-"

"Hold your pretty little ponies baby cakes," the guy said and I began to wonder what area this guy was really from. "The guys and I didn't leave him to die. He was injured badly when we found him. He was barely coherent, but enough to tell us the kid was missing. We didn't have a clue how recent the attack was so we went to look for your precious little boy so don't go yelling at me to do something and when I do it you criticize-"

"Okay okay," Emileah waved her hands to calm him down and I realized she was conceding to him. "Just tell us what happened." The guy looked at her long and hard then shifted his glance to all of us before continuing.

"Like I said, we went looking for the kid. Came up with zilch. Got back to the cabin to get ready to move the guy to our place when we return and find the criminal has been back and finished the job."

"You didn't leave anyone with him?" Emileah asked in that slightly criticizing tone. The guy let out a loud exhale and it became obvious Emileah was annoying him.

"No," he over enunciated the syllable. "We didn't. There were only four of us and we were gone for five minutes max. We're not trackers, we're not even hunters. We're hide and sneak up on you kind of people so imagine our surprise when someone beat us at our own game."

"This isn't a ga-" Emileah started angrily but stopped herself. She exchanged a few words with Sahara and calmed herself again.

"Can you take us there?" I asked finally putting some distance between Emileah and the lizard leader.

"No problem kid," he said then slipped a hand into his pocket pulling out another cigarette. "Just give me about five minutes to get ready and we'll head out." He turned away from us.

"Took only five minutes for that escort to get killed," Emileah muttered under her breath but loud enough for the guy to hear it.

Besides giving her the finger he didn't respond again.

* * *

"Here we are," the leader said once we reached Fortuna Foothills. It took us longer considering he doesn't move fast at all in form. There had been a stash of clothes just outside the checkpoint cabin which looked on the outside like a replica of the one in Olympia only it had three rooms instead of just two. "Scene of the crime." We had followed him inside. It was evident that there was a struggle but only in the first room. "We burned the body but we didn't touch anything in case Clarice sent the policing pack-"

"Which we are," Sahara interjected.

"Right," he drawled sarcastically. "If you want to pull out your little inspector sets and investigate, be my guest." With that he moved to exit and to leave us to our tasks.

"What's the back room for?" I asked before he was completely out the door.

"Storage," he began. "Goods and supplies mostly from the gulf groups but I guess that would make them illegal goods thanks to your girlfriend over there," Collin's continual growl became a little more audible at that.

"She's not my girlfriend," I stated quickly. "She's my sis-"

"I'm the alpha female and that's all you need to know," Emileah said loudly overshadowing what I was going to say. The guy shrugged and left, obviously not caring. When he did Emileah gave me an exasperated look. What did I do now?

"What?"

"They don't need to know all our business," she began. "It's why we're effective, why the policing pack works. They hardly know anything about us so we are mysterious. Mysterious powers are to be feared."

"The policing pack rules by fear," I asked rhetorically. "And the panthers rule by organized crime." No one responded and just began eyeballing different areas of the room. I scoffed. "Before long the other packs will either be asking for our heads because we're a dictatorship or because they think we're becoming the mafia."

"And how would you, oh _brilliant_ one," Emileah asked with her eyes boring into mine. "change it? How would you maintain order and keep everyone in line."

"You don't," I said simply finally gaining the attention of the other two. "These people survive because they keep their own secret. They're not going to tell anyone else's when they have their own to hide."

"We're not the bloodsuckers, this is more than just keeping the secret and keeping everyone in line," Emileah argued getting off the floor and walking over to me. "Most of these groups we run into don't have the means to even keep themselves _alive_. LaPush statistically is one of the wealthier packs in this little shindig," she said smartly. "Clarice's old pack leaders may have been power hungry but they were smart to maintain this Haven project. It keeps our kind alive. Primal met needs first like food and shelter. We do that then we move onto keeping them orderly: our job." She thumbed at herself. "They get educated, find a home, maybe in a few decades we'll have roaming psychologists that can handle all the crazies," she laughed bitterly and turned away from me. What she said made sense but I didn't want to admit defeat.

"So," I began lamely after a moment." Find anything?"

"I knew this guy," Collin said immediately after taking a few more deep breaths. "The escort I mean. It's been months but a slight trace of his scent is still here. He uh," Collin glanced at us then away again. "Was with the panther pack before he got stationed here. You all were young probably only three or four so you won't remember that time we stayed with Clarice's pack for a few weeks. Brady and I wanted to play a trick on Seth." This caused Sahara to perk up in interest.

"Dad?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah," Collin answered already lost in his memory. "He said he wanted to help us play a trick on Seth." We knew he was talking about the slain panther again. "Because he distinctly remembers Seth breaking his nose at the battle against us. So we waited until Seth was in wolf form washing his fur then we tricked him into falling into this mud pit." Collin chuckled as did we all.

"How'd he take it?" Sahara asked in earnest.

"You know Seth," Collin said with a wave of his hand. "The guy whined for about five minutes then when he found out it was us he starts laughing and bragging about how we got him good." Collin shook his head but with a smile still on his face. "Your dad sucks the fun outta making people angry but it was a great time." The girls turned away to give Collin a private moment of nostalgia but I couldn't turn away. I always had this feeling of longing when the older pack members talked about times that had happened when we were much younger or before we were born. I guess the way they talked so carefree about it made me think those were the easier days.

"Whoever this sicko is," Emileah started bringing both Collin and I back to the present. "Really doesn't want us to find him. He's leaving a trail of crimes but not one of himself." She rubbed her chin thinking as she crouched back to the floor.

"Maybe we shouldn't look at the trail he's leaving," Sahara remarked drawing all eyes to her. "Maybe we should think like he's thinking. Why is he attacking the Haven?"

"If napping a few kids and killing some panthers is his idea of making a statement, I'd say we have our very own shifter terrorist on our hands," Collin retorted ending it with a growl. I didn't speak. We were missing something vital. And I had no clue what it was.

* * *

**A/N: **Totally getting these chaps out before HKitchen comes on. Sorry I suck at updating two stories at the same time. I'll try to reply to reviews later tonight.


	57. Leonard's Reprise:8

That's how it went on for weeks. We travelled all across the west half of the US and Mexico trying to investigate the kidnappings from months before. It was during this time that I had my first real brush with reality. Even though I'd travelled to many different groups with the pack when I was younger, it became painfully obvious that godmom had shielded me from the real situations going on within these camps. There were some groups that had become so dependent on the Haven that without their regular shipments, their members were practically starving. Some camps were packed with shifters, far beyond their capacity.

Sahara had cried when we found a rodent clan that were actually living in sewers with regular rodents. A kidnapping had taken place near their camp. We had asked them about the incident and they looked at us and said they hardly could keep track of their own, how would they know anything about a single missing person. Emileah had showed them the report from Clarice. An older member remembered filing the report with the panthers when it had happened but since then they had lost almost 12 of their own, not including the ones they knew were dead.

And those incidents we could tell weren't associated with the crimes we were following.

These depressing visits were starting to get to everyone.

_Stop crying you weak little baby,_ Emileah screamed at Sahara mentally. Sahara had been replaying some of the more horrific scenes we had witnessed over the weeks and each image brought on a new wave of tears and agony in her mind. Emileah apparently did not appreciate these continual feelings. _Life sucks, get over it. _

_Emi, you are never compassionate! _Sahara whined back. _Did you see how those people were living? How can you be so stoical all the time?_

_How can you stand to always wear your heart on your sleeve? _Their bickering went back and forth. _It's not even genuine. You just respond how you think you should!_

_Shut up Emileah, _Sahara screamed back and I knew something was wrong. We all stopped running after that outburst. Sahara quickly changed back to human form. "Don't follow me," she yelled and ran off. I looked to Emileah who was heaving and blowing air out of her nose. She growled after Sahara but remained mentally silent.

_I think we should rest for the night, _Collin suggested. At first I thought Emileah would protest but she simply phased to human form and slumped against a tree. Collin did the same though he walked off saying that he was going to find some firewood. I took in Emileah's form. She was angry, she was upset, but she was tired. I could tell as her eyes continually went out of focus. I took a step toward her but hesitated. What could I say? Was there anything I could do to make this better? I knew Emileah was still angry with me from LaPush not to mention my less than spectacular performance as an alpha male. I looked the part, but actually knowing what to do was something else entirely. Now apparently she was butting heads with Sahara. And who knew what was going on between her and Collin?

I went to work building a fire pit for us just to keep my hands busy that were tingling to rip my hair out of my head at the roots. I could feel Emileah's eyes boring into the back of my head but I chose to remain quiet. I would let her speak first.

"Jacob told me about you and Clarice." I choked. She pretended not to notice. How much did she know? How much had Jacob known? And what gave him the right to-"You weren't guarding your thoughts with him," she supplied and I felt a single ripple go through my muscles. "I was angry but it was so long ago that I forgot Sahara never heard about it." I stopped my pit building and turned to face her. I was confused as to what this had to do with- "I let the thought slip when we both went out for a run yesterday. She got _really_ mad." She stopped talking and it took a moment for the realization to hit.

"She's mad at me," I said confidently recalling the last time Sahara had blown up at me. "Because I didn't tell her?" Emileah looked away so I took it as an affirmative answer. "I didn't even tell you," I shrieked getting back to my feet. Emileah sighed.

"It doesn't matter," she said before getting to her feet as well and dusting off her phasing pants. "She's mad and she's taking it out on me. Not like I don't anger her either but I know she'll kill me before she hurts _you_ in anyway." Emileah was beating around the proverbial bush and I didn't like it.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked suspiciously.

"Sahara loves you," she said plainly. I nodded.

"We're like brother and sister." She frowned and I backtracked thinking she was offended at not being included. "All of us." She walked to me shaking her head and placed a hand on my shoulder. The intense look she gave me made me think she was trying to force me to understand something. I wasn't getting it.

"We're cousins," she said evenly, "second cousins in your case." The statement even though it was true hurt me a little. We had been raised as siblings. Why was she telling me this now? She patted my shoulder not in an affectionate way, but more of a patronizing way. "Just remember that we can pretend all we want but reality is all that matters in the end." Now she was being cryptic. What was I missing? She walked away to finish the fire pit I started just as Collin returned carrying loads of wood in his arms.

* * *

I groaned when an annoying sound buzzed in my ear.

"Somebody break that alarm clock," Emileah grumbled before burrowing her head into her sleeping bag. The noise didn't go away so I opened my eyes to the forest and a night sky. I knew instantly that wasn't an alarm.

"Hello," it was Collin whispering into his radio. I didn't make any movement to show that I was awake. I heard him get up and move farther into the forest making his words muffled. I glanced over before intending on following and saw that Sahara had returned as she was curled up asleep in her sleeping bag across the now dead fire. I remained as silent as I could as I followed Collin at a distance to make sure he couldn't hear my approach. "-very sporadic. We're not coming close to anything. It's the same thing every time, they have no idea who and the guy cloaks his smell. I sense a dead end coming soon unless we can find something that no one else has-" he stopped talking and I frowned being unable to hear who was on the other end of the conversation that Collin was sharing information with. "I know but they're so young-" He paused again. "Yes I know. Age doesn't matter but I would really like to know what you're trying to prove with sending them out here." The sounds from the other end were louder, almost like yelling. "There's a difference between teaching kids to fly and pushing them off a cliff before they're ready." Collin was angry now. "Fine I'll get back to you." He ended the call harshly. "You can come out Leo," he called. My shoulders slumped as I stepped out of hiding.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"If it was Emileah or Sahara, they wouldn't have allowed themselves to get caught." It was like a punch to the stomach being reminded of my inability to even be a good shifter. "Listen kid, I don't know how much of that you heard of that but try not to think anything of it."

"How can I not?" I asked honestly. "If that's what you really feel about us: that we're going to hit a dead end soon. You don't think any higher of us than the groups we try to talk to who think that we're just inept kids-" He groaned loudly.

"Leo, listen to me for once in your life," he whisper yelled to me. Then he quickly walked over and grabbed my shoulders roughly so I could look him square in the face. "You're an alpha now. You're a shifter, isn't that what you wanted?" I nodded but he shook his head. "No, no head nodding now, never or anymore. That's what you wanted?"

"Yes," I whispered and fought the urge to look away as if I were a chastened child.

"Then stop the whining." I frowned at his statement.

"I don't whine," I protested but he didn't believe me and apparently was already annoyed with me since his eyes shot skyward and he started mumbling something that sound a lot like 'God help me.'

"If you want the other leaders to respect your position you have to kick that habit first. And second," he paused to look at me and make sure I was actually paying attention to him. "You need to stop being such chicken sh-uh crap." I almost laughed at his self censoring. "Stop doubting yourself and just go with it. You're doing just like you did before. Think you're inferior, go into yourself and hardly talk to anyone besides Emileah." That caught me off guard. Had he really paid that much attention to me when I was growing up? "Most of what Emileah is doing is just what she's seen her parents do over the years. It's why they respond to her so easily because she's like a freaking replica of Leah. Complete with the raving mad persona. Then the other times she's cool calm and collected like her dad. Don't walk around thinking we're leagues ahead of you… well I might be but stop fretting about it man and just give your opinion. A stupid opinion is better than none and that's half the reason Emileah's angry with you because you aren't saying _anything_." He shoved me backwards a little when he was done, not strong enough to make me fall but more to add effect to his statement.

I wasn't sure what to think of this. Hadn't he just been belittling me? Now he was encouraging me and telling me to go for it. Talk about a flip flop.

"What do I do, Collin?" One question I'd never thought would come out of my mouth. "I'm not very good at this alpha thing." Admitting that was like admitting to my varsity basketball team that I've never played a full game in my life.

Where do I get these analogies?

As if I've ever played school sports.

"You're right, you're not good," he responded and I felt my shoulder droop at his bluntness. "Not right now, but I'm sure you'll get better because…well there are people that believe you can do this. Maybe you'll bring something fresh to the world." The way he said that latter part sound as if he was repeating something that someone had already said to him. "Just hang in there, man up, and adjust. Because if you keep letting Emileah run you into the ground like this, you're officially dawning the name of puppy alpha for the rest of your unnatural life." He ended the statement with finger jab in my direction. Satisfied that he'd left me in a state of frustration he left me alone to check on the girls.

I'm puppy alpha while Emileah-my _younger_ sister- is top dog.

* * *

The run from southern USA to Canada felt like the longest stretch I'd ever run in my life and I'm the one that ran from Florida to Washington in a week.

_Collin, could you ask Emileah when we will be stopping please? _Collin mentally groaned before echoing the question to Emileah who in turn refused to supply the answer. I decided to answer for Emileah instead.

_We should be stopping in a few hours. _Collin sighed as he relayed the answer that could clearly be heard in all our minds. Sahara didn't respond to that.

_Could you ask Emileah? _She repeated.

Perhaps I should elaborate, it was the longest stretch not because of the physical distance but it just felt like I'd been running for months and wasn't getting anywhere. Sahara was obviously still angry with Emileah so Emileah was giving Sare the silent treatment while Sare refused to speak directly to her.

And me, she was just plain ignoring.

It was strange because ever since we left LaPush, Sahara had been angry with me more times than she ever has in her entire life. As a matter of fact, I don't recall her ever being angry with me before.

How long was I actually gone? First Emileah is accused of murder who gives Collin some semblance of the time of day and now Sahara is moody.

What's next? Jacob Black returns to the Rez and challenges Embry for title of Chief?

I ignored the growls sent my way because of my thoughts. I wasn't as good at hiding my thoughts as the others: thinking about things but not focusing on any one thought distinctly and for very long. It didn't take long for me to realize why everyone said Emileah was one of the best at hiding her thoughts. Her mind was these fuzzy, indistinct images that were so fleeting you hardly had time to figure out what she had been thinking about before you'd already missed the next three thoughts. It was like watching a tv show but the picture was blurry and on super fast forward.

_How long til we reach Alberta? _Emileah did a quick estimate in her head.

_A few more days. _She actually answered me, ignoring the muffled anger coming from Sahara. I caught a snippet of excitement coming from Emileah, almost as if she were glad that she could get a rise out of Sahara. Their attitudes were beginning to annoy me though. It made me long for the times I spent with Clarice.

She may look young but she didn't have the fleeting feelings of a girl. She was a strong stable woman-

My thoughts got interrupted by Emileah's and Sahara's growling. Apparently they felt offended that I was insinuating they were fickle with their feelings.

Well they were.

_We're stopping. _Emileah announced and promptly phased back to human form. I followed suit, grateful to have my mind to myself again. And it gave me some time to reminisce.

"_Clarice," The young woman was dressed in phasing pants and a regular shirt. She had been my first panther encounter after I phased and I instinctually knew that her scent was feline. "Clarice, a young LaPush wolf is here to see you," she said as she stuck her head into the large room size tent. I stood behind her, for the first time in my life, completely unaffected by the pouring rain drenching my body. It was a few more moments before the woman turned and told me I could enter._

_Stepping into the large tent, I found that it was simple but comfortable, as expected I guess for a pack always on the move. At a small desk in the middle of the tent sat Clarice. Her head was down as she typed on a small laptop. I noticed the unlit lantern to the side. The inside of the tent was dark but we were both shifters with eyesight made to see in the darkest of nights. She looked up at me and even though I knew it impossible I still held out hope that her eyes connecting with mine would be the start of a beautiful relationship._

_She smiled at me and though I felt a warmth flood me, I knew there had been no earth shattering, gravity moving connection. Her eyes simply lit up in familial recognition._

"_Leonard Uley?" She asked and I returned the smile, if only at the excitement that she knew who I was. "Boy have you grown up into a fine young man. Tre talks about you so much." I had enough control to not growl at the mention of my…whatever he was to me. He has a hold over the woman I want and he raped the woman that I've known as my mother. I was pulled out of my thoughts when she stood up and walked closer to me. "I see you finally shifted." She took a sniff. "And not too long go." Her face turned to one of worry. "Oh my is everything alright in Washington? Why are you here?" She started to sound panicky and I realized that me showing up unannounced, being the youngest shifter probably looked very bad in her mind._

"_No, nothing like that," I said raising my hands to calm her. "I just needed to get away…for a while?" When her expression turned to one of concern and sympathy, I knew I'd found my new temporary home._

"Guys!" Collin's yelling made my eyes open and tore me away from my memory. "I just got a call from Leah, we're needed in Alberta now!" Emileah was on her feet before me while Collin worked quickly to take the partial camp down.

"Sahara," Emileah yelled into the forest. "We're rolling out!" She turned to me as she grabbed her still rolled up sleeping bag and stuffed it in her bag. "Get up sleepy head, we finally get to see some action."

Never get a break.

* * *

**A/N: **AGH It's been so long since I updated that I dont remember if I replied to reviews. Okay I do remember that I got a few questions about Tre. His whereabouts will be revealed...before the story ends. That's the best answer I can give without giving away plot though I am pleasantly surprised readers wonder about my OC. Is it bad that I'm already thinking about EXTRA scenes I wanna do like from alternate POVs? Anyways thanks for reading and reviewing guys! Hope you haven't lost interest yet!


	58. Leonard's Reprise:9

"You're kidding me right, C?"

"There's no kidding going on Will," Collin said sternly as this _Will_ took in our appearance. It was comical really; this 4 foot nothing beaver literally peering up at a pack of 6 and a half foot wolves with this look of complete disappointment on his face.

"They're kids," Will pointed out as if it was the vilest thought in the world. "I can still smell baby formula on their breath." Emileah's harsh growl caused him to raise his hands in surrender. I don't know why she even bothered getting angry anymore, we get this sort of reaction every time we show up at a shifter camp, claiming to be the acting policing pack. "I'm just sayin." He spared a glance at Emileah before turning to Collin. "Granted she's just as hot as her momma but I feel a little weird even eyeing her. I remember her when she was a baby."

Surprisingly Collin responded calmly. "Yeah, I know the feeling." Emileah rolled her eyes but stayed silent.

"Well if this is as good as it's gonna get, I might as well show you guys the trouble." Will turned to lead us down a snow covered path into some woods when I stopped him.

"I'm sorry," I started and he turned back around to look at me questioningly. "Just exactly who are you?"

He starts laughing like it's the funniest thing in the world. It was a valid question.

We reached Canada and were headed to the beaver-elk camp when this shrimp is just standing here waiting for us and starts talking. I know Collin knew him but being Alpha, I kind of needed to know as well.

"It's fine really. The name's William. You don't need to know my last name it's not important. My two brothers and I live in the oh so creatively named, Alberta pack not to be confused with veg-vamp haven coven in Edmonton. We actually graduated from the Haven-LaPush location. But that was a long time ago, you three were just babies."

"What's your shift?"

"Beaver. And don't laugh, I've spanked many kids in my day with my tail who don't learn respect." None of us had laughed. "So how's Leah?" The way he asked that made me wary. He was insinuating something and I wasn't sure-

"She's still not into you Will," Collin cut in. Will snapped his fingers in defeat.

"I won't give up yet. She'll learn the truth about short guys soon enough."

"Keep dreamin little man." Collin laughed as did Will. "So really what's up and why did you meet us way out here?" Will sobered up as we began following behind him. It was then that I noticed his tattered clothes and while he was mostly clean, I could tell that he wasn't washing using indoor plumbing.

"It's that bear clan," he began with an exasperated wave of his hand. "Ever since word got about the panther clan decimating that one bear clan, they've all been holding back to joining the Haven. Now they're taking it out on us 'cause one of our little punks ratted out that we were Haven to one of theirs." Collin cringed. He looked back and noticed my confused expression then decided to elaborate.

"The panther pack when it was under Orson, tricked a bear pack a while back. Tre and Myra were in the pack at the time. Word got around about it so the few bear clans we've found won't join the Haven because of it. Will's Haven has been keeping their ties to the Haven a secret from that clan until now."

"Yeah and it drove them to set our east woods on fire."

"What?" Sahara screeched. "That's insane not to mention dangerous."

"And it'll draw too much attention to the area," Emileah added.

"That's what they want, and we can't put it out. It'll only be a matter of days before that area is swarming with humans and rescue personnel. Snow or not, that fire's spreading fast."

"Okay what do you need us to do?" Collin asked having been debriefed on the situation.

"I dunno, act as the go between maybe," Will suggested. "The bears are denying their involvement but we don't believe that for one second. Our people are so tired from having to move everything and go into hiding so quickly. A few can't even go to their human jobs because there's so much to do. We just need to get the bears to come to terms and fix this mess they've made."

"And if they don't?" I asked hearing an unspoken threat in that statement.

"If they don't, and we go down, we're not going down alone." Will said as he came to a stop.

"You can't do that, Will," Collin said. "If you expose the bear clan, it'll open up the possibility that there are other shifter groups to the humans."

"And you'll endanger all of us!" Emileah snapped.

"It's not my choice!" Will yelled back to them. "Our HBIC-"

"HBIC?" I whispered to Emileah.

"Head beaver in charge," she answered.

"- said that the Bears will pay if it comes to that. If it was entirely up to me, I'd go suicidal samurai on the humans but orders are orders."

"Okay okay, then we'll just find a way to settle this with the bears." Collin appeased. Will nodded as we quickened our pace to the Alberta Haven. When we arrived, we found the series of log houses that had been built near a now frozen river. The Haven members all looked as tired as Will. The smell of the burning woods was strong but I could tell that it was still a few miles out from where the Haven was located. That meant there was still time to settle this.

"We'll send two reps out in the morning to talk this over with the bears and try and get some sort of statement," Emileah began at the meeting we held with the beaver clan's leaders. I was pleased to find that Will and his brothers, whom I discovered were identical triplets, supported generally what Emileah and Collin were setting forth as a solution to the problem.

"But why are we waiting? The woods are burning every minute of every hour of every day," the largest beaver shifter whom I was informed to be the HBIC spoke irritably. "Why can't your two representatives go now so this can be settled?" Emileah took in a slow calming breath, having come close to her wits end with dealing with this leader for the past hour and a half.

"Sir, my pack has been running for weeks now with little to no rest. Your emergency call came right when we were about to settle in for the night. Our betas, in order to work to their fullest and to remain sensible while dealing with what you deem a hostile pack must be well rested." Emileah leaned towards the man who was maybe 4 foot 2 inches in a menacing manner. "If I send them right now, you will have a worse problem on your hands considering the clan is already distrusting of Haven officials. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," he said firmly without holding Emileah's gaze. She didn't hold her position long, instead choosing to straighten back up and adjourn the meeting. We were led to a larger cabin that was usually occupied by visiting shifters. I appreciated that my whole body could lie down on the bunk bed.

I was on the top bunk per Collin's orders while he lay on the bottom one with the girls in the bunk next to us. I found it hard for sleep to come though as I worried over the first situation that would split our relatively new pack. Collin and Sahara would be our representatives to go into the bear clan, a rogue clan as the term was deemed for unassociated packs. If that went badly we would have to change tactics which would undoubtedly lead to a fight.

I wonder when anyone is going to remember that I've never fought in wolf form before. Or killed a vampire. Or killed anything.

Wait I take that last thought back.

I did kill a squirrel once.

* * *

**A/N: **uh...i don't have anything else to say since last chap.

Scratch that yes I do. Who remembers the beaver triplets from Til Imprint? They're mentioned in the epilogue...I think...yeah!


	59. Leonard's Reprise:10

We saw Collin and Sahara off after Will gave them vague instructions on how to get to the bear clan. Collin assured him that they would just sniff the clan out. Watching their silhouettes disappear amongst the snow laden trees made me realize how much I missed civilization.

Trees, trees, the occasional desert, and more trees was all I'd seen for weeks.

Emileah was the first to break off from our little seeing off party as soon as our betas were out of sight. I was a little startled by her sudden departure and decided to follow. Of course, it was too much of a hassle for her to let me in on what she was doing. When she got far enough into the woods, she shed her t-shirt.

"Em, what are you doing?" I asked from a few feet behind her. She phased without even acknowledging me, then ran off. I followed suit. _Where are you going? _

_Will said that the bears have never before been this aggressive with them. Even after they first admitted they were Haven which they all said was a few months ago. _She stopped to sniff the air. _Sure they may have looked at them differently and stopped socializing with them as much as they used to do, but to all of a sudden turn around and set the woods on fire near them. Not to mention risking endangering their own clan as well._

I could tell Emileah was getting at something but I wasn't sure yet. _What are you saying? You don't think the bears did this?_

_No, I don't. _She responded firmly. I started thinking back to the meeting.

_Even Will believes it though, _I stated remembering the few things he agreed on with the beaver leader.

_Look at them Leo, _she recalled a few images of the clan members we had seen. _They are all tired and worn down. They are angry and irritable. None of them are thinking straight. They're jumping at the first people they can think of without looking at the facts. What, besides the fact that they're Haven, would cause the normally docile bear clan to smoke the beavers out and risk both packs? _I couldn't think of anything. Though we hadn't really been given an in depth description of the normal everyday associations between the packs.

_So who do you think did it? _

_I don't know, _she sniffed a few more times. _But I'm going to find out. _She continued to try and catch a smell. I stared after her a few more seconds without moving.

_Do Collin and Sahara know about this?_

_Collin does, _she admitted. _He'll fill Sahara in on their way over, if she hasn't already come to the same conclusions herself by then. _I tensed. Again that feeling of being inadequate crept up. Emileah ignored it.

_What exactly are they going to do?_

_Confirm that the bear clan didn't do this so we can move on to who did and be out of here as quickly as possible. _I felt excluded. Everyone else in the pack knew what was going on save me. Was Emileah even going to fill me in had I not followed her? _We have more important matters to get to with the kidnappings. I didn't think you needed to be bothered with handling this case. You're new to everything… I get that. I know you can't handle too many things right now so the three of us thought it better if we clear this out quickly and you can keep focusing on our main problem, the missing shifters. _I wasn't sure if I should feel insulted or appreciative. _The latter because if you don't get on your game quickly you're gonna get someone killed. So take advantage of my graciousness while you can. _And with that she was done talking to me and went back to the task of sniffing out the east woods.

It wasn't until later that night that Collin and Sahara returned. The beaver triplets stopped by to check in with us when they returned but I could tell Collin and Sahara were holding back. Dejected about nothing much being accomplished yet, they left our guest cabin. When they were far enough away Emileah drilled them.

"So what _really_ happened?" She asked sitting on Sahara's bunk next to me while Collin and Sahara sat on his across from us.

"It took a while to get the bear leaders to agree to talk to us," Collin stated. "We made sure not to reveal that Sahara was partially a panther to them but they finally agreed to let us into their boundaries after cursing us out for more than an hour." He laughed.

"Emileah, they started complaining about the fire as soon as we stated our responsibilities in the Haven. They thought it was the beavers or something," Sahara cut in. "I don't believe they did it."

"Did they have any other suspects?" Emileah asked.

"No, but that's because they don't know of any other packs near here."

"And there are no other Haven shifter packs around here. Most are yellow eyed vamp covens." Collin added. Emileah sat back as she absorbed the information. I was stumped, but that's nothing new.

"Are you sure they weren't bluffing about the fire, maybe to cover themselves by acting ignorant?" Emileah asked again.

"I'm pretty sure it was genuine ignorance," Collin stated. "And they were exaggerating about how far away the bear clan is. This forest fire is affecting their pack as well."

"Well," Emileah began as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration but I could tell she wasn't surprised since she had assumed as much. "This just got a whole lot messier."

"Maybe we should focus on trying to get the two groups to cooperate in putting the fire out," Sahara suggested earning looks of doubt from the rest of us. "The first concern both of these groups share is to their own pack. We convince them that the best way to protect themselves is to help each other contain the fire then we work from there on finding who really started this disaster."

"That'll put us behind schedule," Emileah cut in. "The missing shifters-"

"Can wait," Sahara argued. "They've been missing for months, what makes you think another few days will make a difference-"

"It makes all the difference!" Emileah yelled before pausing to lower her tone again. "Mom and dad should have left right after that first attack. Instead she allows the council of elders and flippin _Embry_ to keep us there so they can be protected. These kids might be dead or dying and each day we let these little side tracks-"

"Side tracks?" She cried incredulously.

"- slow us down is adding one more day of suffering for them. And if you think settling this fire and fight between the bears and beavers is gonna take a few days then you are as stupid as you look."

"I'm not stupid!"

"Okay okay," I said cutting in when they dwindled into insults. "Em's right-"

"Of course she is," Sahara mumbled mockingly.

"-we need to find these kids." I continued not allowing myself to be deterred. "But we've hit a dead end we're just sweeping the west coast trying to find something. This situation here should be our main focus right now. " This sent Emileah to a pouting position. "Sahara's idea is a good one. You two should focus on getting the bear pack to cooperate and Emileah and I can work on the beavers. At the very least we can get this fire settled in a couple days before the humans come pulling through." No one protested which I took as a good sign. Emileah climbed into her bed while Sahara moved to hers silently. I didn't miss how Collin had remained silent for most of the time. As I started to climb up into my bed he grabbed my arm.

"We may make you an alpha yet." He pat my back really hard then we all settled in for the night.

* * *

The next morning we proposed the idea to the beaver/elk pack and although reluctant they eventually agreed. We assumed Collin and Sahara were running into the same problems with the bear pack. Two days later (and though the fire had spread) a few volunteers from the bear pack showed. When they arrived I wasn't surprised to find them all tall in human form, a few were taller than us but I noticed that they had a stockier build. They had muscles rippling everywhere and I wondered how these many body builder types were hiding in the forest. It was comical to see them working alongside the beavers who were probably half their size.

It was hard work trying to isolate the fire away from the two pack grounds but we managed. If anything I found out why the beaver triplets were so well liked. Even though Will was a little off putting at first, a few days around the brothers and I became acquainted with their charm, their friendliness, and their mischief.

"Bro, you think we can get away with asking her out?" I overheard Will asking one of his brothers. I looked to see that he was pointing at one of the female bears. I briefly wondered why Will thought he needed his team of brothers to ask the woman out before taking note of her appearance. She was shorter than most of the bear guys, but just as built and probably had more muscle than me. She could no doubt squash Will like a bug.

"You got that in the bag bro," the other responded causing Will to slap on a confident smile as he strode over to the unsuspecting female. "So gullible." I chuckled upon hearing that muttering once Will was far enough away. I watched curiously as a few words were exchanged and for a moment I thought the girl was seriously considering whatever it was he was animatedly proposing.

That is until she doubled over laughing.

Needless to say, Will's ego was bruised for the day. But he must have done something right because the next day they were sitting together during lunch time talking amicably. It really jumpstarted the friendliness between the two packs.

"Tell me some good news," Emileah said when we all met up after the fifth day of working on extinguishing the fire. It was then that I noticed I hadn't seen her all day though I had run into Sahara and Collin numerous times throughout the day.

"We think the fire should be completely extinguished by tomorrow," Collin started right in. "Luckily it didn't get big enough to draw attention but a lot of the trees have been destroyed."

"And," Sahara cut in enthusiastically. "Inter pack relations between the bears and beav-elk have improved tremendously!" She beamed quite pleased with the news though all Emileah gave was a head nod in response before looking at me waiting for my update.

"…I think Will has a girlfriend," I said which only annoyed Emileah, caused Sahara to squeal in delight and Collin to start laughing.

"I'm gonna tell Leah he's cheating on her," he playfully threatened.

"Joking aside," Emileah said, alpha tone in place. "I think it best that we pull out in a day or so. We still have a job to get done." With that she turned to leave us and head to our cabin.

* * *

I was startled awake by loud yelling and knocking on the cabin door. Collin was at the door before I could completely get my bearings. I noticed Sahara standing in a defensive position as Emileah climbed from her bed. She pushed past Sahara to hear what was happening outside the door.

"We've got trouble." I approached the clogged doorway to hear Will's voice panicked. "I don't know how it happened but the fire spread to the west woods."

"I thought it was contained-"

"It was!" He said breathlessly. "But somehow, I dunno, it doesn't make sense but it's on the opposite side of the lake. And it's bigger. We're moving everyone as fast as we can but it's gonna trap us!" Will stuttered out quickly. I was hardly awake to handle this new catastrophe. We moved to exit before Emileah cursed loudly.

"Emi-" I was cut off when she pushed through everyone, phased before she barely clear of Will and ran straight towards the west forests.

"Collin wa-" with Collin sprinting after her cutting Sahara off. The three of us shared a look before following suit.

_-can't believe this! It was all a ruse! _I was instantly bombarded with Emileah's frantic ramblings. _Someone is trying to throw us off. Distract us with these fires._

_What do you mean? _I asked not following her thought processes.

_I knew it wasn't the bears or beavers that started these fires. It was someone who needed to keep us busy! And I'd bet my non-existent allowance it's whoever's been kidnapping those kids!_

_How do you know that?_

_I've been investigating the past few days. This mad man we're chasing is good but he's not perfect. I knew he was bound to make a mistake and he did. I ventured into the west woods and a bunch of those displaced animals from the fire had a slightly cloaked scent._

_You mean while he's been cloaking his scent he hasn't been careful about not cloaking others around him. _I stated finally understanding. _He's leaving an invisible trail. _Granted, out of context that statement doesn't make much sense but we all understood. I felt a sharp slap on my leg and looked down to see an angry beaver smacking its tail up and down on me. It trembled before turning into a naked Will.

"If you guys are done playing tag, we have a disaster on our hands!"

_Why didn't you tell us about this Emileah? _Sahara asked pulling my attention away from Will. _We need to know these things!_

_I know but we had to finish this first and if whoever did this was around I didn't want him catching wind that I knew he did this._

_Well he obviously caught you snooping considering he came back to finish the job._

_And destroy the evidence. _I added. Will smacked me again, this time with his hand. _What do we do?_

_The trail's fresh, if we can catch up to the kidnapper we need to leave now! Emileah said hurriedly._

_We can't just leave the beavers and bears with this fire, it's huge! _Sahara protested. Collin turned to face me and even in wolf form- though he remained mentally silent- I could tell he was urging me to make a decision.

…I couldn't. I didn't know what to do.

_Too soon… _slipped through his thoughts but before I could question he was already addressing us. _Listen up, this fire has to be contained but we have to chase down that kidnapper. I'll stay here and help with the packs. You three stick together and follow that trail. DO NOT separate! _

_Collin you can't go by-_

_I'll be fine, _he said cutting Sahara's worries. _It's you three I worry about but you're strong. Stick together and you'll be fine! _He walked near me to nudge Will with his nose.

"I don't speak wolf Collin," Will grumbled as he swatted at Collin's nose. Collin pushed him in the direction of the pack grounds. Will finally understood and started to run in that direction. Collin moved to follow before turning back.

_Emileah, _he called causing her to stop. _Remember what I told you. _She did a quick nod. _You too, Leo. _I responded the same and Collin was gone.

We started running with Emileah at point following a scentless trail. An uneasiness settled in my stomach as I watched Collin run the opposite direction of us.

The guy had been a pain in the butt my entire life but I already missed him.

_Oh suck it up you pansy. _

Of course, Emileah will always be there to keep me focused.

* * *

**A/N: **DUM DUM DUM! Collin's splitting from the others. How will Leo cope without his beta?

Funny story: I went to see eclipse w/my sis and she doesn't know i write on here so I was like you want me to write an alternate Breaking Dawn then she said YEAH. And then I was like or maybe I'll write a Leah story and she was like ok. And I said already done but she didn't hear me. So then she was like WRITE a story with her and Jacob and I said...no one likes a OC. LOL! i tell her that and i have like a million in my stories.

Okay I might update again later. OH and I think I have a poll on my page. It's been up for like weeks but I forgot to announce it.

AND THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!


	60. Leonard's Reprise:11

_The deep but feminine laugh drew me farther into the darkened woods. The pouring rain left me drenched despite my high body temperature. None of the trees provided shelter from the storm but that laugh made it okay…made it tolerable._

"_C'mon Leonardo!" Clarice yelled for me using the nickname she'd made up. She claimed she wanted to be original. "You're not scared of a little rain are you?" I laughed before joining. I couldn't help it. I'd been living with the panthers for about a month and in that entire time I had never seen Clarice simply laugh and act the age she looked._

"_I didn't think cats liked rain," I said as I drew closer to her voice. I was confused having followed the sound but couldn't find her but I wasn't worried._

"_Up here!" I looked up and she was seated in a tree. For a moment she looked as innocent as a five year old girl just sitting in her tree house but I knew better. "The tree is blocking the rain." I didn't look to see where she was pointing, just simply joined her on the branch. Sitting beside her was nice. Shoulder to shoulder, I could feel her warmth and crazy as it sounds, I could feel her sadness. "Have any of them gotten in touch with you?" She asked hesitantly. I looked down, past my dangling feet and toward the ground. _

"_No," and I didn't bother feeling ashamed at how weak it came out._

"_Not even through Jacob Black or anything?" she asked desperately and somehow seeing her frustration at my own predicament made me want to cheer her up._

"_It's fine. Considering the circumstances, I ran out on them. I don't expect anything-"_

"_That's not the point, Leonard," she protested and I knew she was back to seriousness because of her tone. "They know you're hurting, that you're young. Tre and Leah should be more forgiving. Especially on today of all days," she added. _

"_My birthday's not that important." That statement evidently angered her since she sharply turned her head in my direction._

"_All birthday's are important," she said strongly but gave no further statement. _

"_My mother died on my birthday," I started, not knowing or caring if she already knew that bit of information. "And in some ways I think my father did as well. Everyone says he sacrificed himself to save godmom but I think he was dead long before that." I paused surprised that I was really going to confess all these feelings to her. Even more surprised that she hadn't turned into the smothering mother that most turn into when I mention either of my parents. "And I've always resented him for it."_

"_Why?" She asked and I could tell she was genuinely curious._

"_Because I think he wanted to die. Because I wasn't enough to keep him alive." I clenched my fists as a ripple went through my spine. It took a few moments for the surge of anger to die down but really the thought that that man was still making me become emotional like this angered me all the more. "I was his son! I should have been enough!" I yelled but I hated that it came out like a sob. But my mother, Emily I never knew her, probably never met her. She didn't have a choice because I killed her." I sniffed a few times forcing the tears not to flow. My eyes burned unbearably. "How do you…how do you recover from that?" Clarice didn't respond, and for a moment I forgot we were still sitting together in a tree during a rainstorm on my birthday._

"_I wasn't born into the pack," she started. "My mother was a human and my father was in the pack under Orson's father. I lived with her and wrote letters to my father's P.O. box occasionally. When I was twelve my mother was killed. The murderer was never found and we were so poor that I feared a life on the streets so I wrote to my father and told him of my mother's death. I asked to live with him, he agreed but said that I would have to keep our lifestyle a secret for my whole life. I thought he was heavy into drugs or something. That I could deal with." She laughed but it was a hollow sound. "That's when I joined the pack. Most looked to me as a burden because I hadn't phased but my father did the best he could to protect me. A year and a half later he dies in a raid."_

_My head popped up intending on interrupting her in an exclamation of shock but I remained silent remembering how she had been when I had been speaking. "I was a human in a pack of panthers. I felt alone. So you see Leo I know what it's like to lose a parent. I know what it's like to feel inadequate. I know what it's like to feel worthless." She paused. "And I know what it's like to have thousands depend on you."_

"_I don't know what that's like," I said lamely. _

"_Maybe not now. But who knows what you'll be in a few decades, a few years, a few months even. It's your birthday today, you don't even know who you'll be tomorrow."I shrugged and she hit me playfully. "I was once a poor girl turned orphan and now I'm the leader of an underground organization, the alpha of a pack, and mother of two."_

"_That's not so much," I teased and she hit me again smiling. "I like it when you smile." I almost slapped my hands over my mouth at my admission but I stopped myself. I felt happy when her smile stayed in place and dare I say she looked a little embarrassed._

"_Thank you." She started to look away. "Tre used to say the same thing." I frowned slightly not wanting her to think about that monster and to come back to the present._

"_Truly, it's beautiful, just like you are." I didn't know where my confidence was coming from.I wasn't exactly what you could call a ladies' man but I liked that I could feel like an equal around Clarice. It also helped that I thought she was attractive. And with that thought my hand slid up to her cheek to caress that soft caramel skin-_

_We're here Leo! _Emileah's shrilling voice blared through my mind yanking out of my memory._ Now could you please put the gag worthy memory reels under lock and key? _I was surprised to find myself in wolf form running and that my two sisters had let me run through that memory for so long before interrupting. Sahara was oddly silent but I could feel intense bursts of anger coming from her. Not wanting to delve into that issue I finally registered what Emileah had said.

_Where's here? _I asked having let Emileah guide us on the trail since she could most easily notice where a scent had been unintentionally cloaked. The trail was weird. It was like walking to a rose bush, taking a big whiff and smelling absolutely nothing except feeling the thick air. We were following a trail of thick scentless air which is a lot harder to follow than a unique scent.

_This is where the trail ends. _She explained and finally took in my surroundings. But after taking a few whiffs of the air I stumbled upon a startling discovery. My surroundings were very familiar. It only took about five steps through some trees for me to figure it out.

_Why are we at the Denali and Cullen mansion?_


	61. Leonard's Reprise:12

My first reaction was shock.

And my second was complete rage.

If I marched into that mansion and found all those kidnapped kids just hiding out with the Cullens I was going to go postal and rip all their stone cold heads off.

_Something's not right, _Sahara thought before quickly phasing back to human. She ran a hand through her hair. "It's too quiet and none of their scents are fresh." She started jogging towards the mansion not bothering to wait for us. "Something's wrong!" Emileah started to run after her before phasing mid stride. I brought up the rear in human form as well. A fleeting thought about my last time being here went through my mind. The sounds and scents of the first phase. That last thought made me realize that Sahara was right. Something was terribly wrong. None of the vampires were here.

"Mama!" Emileah yelled. I recalled that godmom had said she would be joining the Cullens so that Carlisle could deliver the babies. There was no answer.

"Can you smell her?"

"It's not fresh." Emileah and Sahara quickly spread to different areas of the perimeter of the house. It occurred to me that I should probably do the same but I didn't want something jumping out at my sisters so I did what any protective brother would.

I went inside first.

"Leo wait-" I yanked open the front door with zero defensive measures and stood in probably the worst position I could to try and brace for sudden attack. Luckily for me none came.

"Hey Em I think it's clear-"

"Ahh!" The loud shriek was definitely Sahara and we were sprinting immediately to the back yard where the scream came from. Emileah went around the side of the mansion while I simply ran through hoping I didn't get turned around in the many hallways. Amazingly I found a back door and burst through just as Emileah made it around back.

The yard was completely destroyed. The sparse grass and snow had been upturned revealing this grimy mix of dirt and white. Any furniture was just piles of debris. I spotted Sahara near the middle of the yard hovered over something and as I got closer I realized it was not something but someone. A vampire. I cautiously edged closer.

Specifically it was Esme.

"Her arms," Sahara exclaimed and I realized the Cullen mother vamp was missing her two arms. Whatever got a hold of her had cleanly torn the two limbs from her, not to mention battered her pretty badly. She was barely coherent. Though Sahara's voice seemed to coax her out of whatever pain induced daze she was in.

"Oh my poor dears, I'm sorry but," she stopped talking when her body tensed in pain. Sahara reached down to help her sit up. "Could you help me locate my arms? I really hope that monster didn't destroy them." Only Esme would be this cool, calm, and collected after being torn to pieces. Emileah and I quickly went to work dissecting the yard as we looked for the limbs. It didn't take long to spot them considering Emileah's awesome tracking skills and the fact that I tripped over the other one. When they were reattached Esme seemed more put together…heh…but it didn't last long when she seemed to remember something. "The monster, oh God you must find Renesmee!" She all but pushed us away to go find her granddaughter.

"Nessie!" Sahara called loudly as we ran a large perimeter. We still didn't know what this monster was but whatever it was it was obviously heartless. We didn't find anything until Sahara took the lead and led us straight to a shallow river.

That flowed next to a small graveyard.

I slowed down to stare at the intricately designed stone crosses that served as tombstones. Most of the small mounds had grass already re-grown over them. Sahara gasped and I looked up to see a tired, battered and tattered Renesmee sitting amongst them. She was shivering and rubbing her arms as she rocked back and forth. She reminded me of a crazy person in a straight jacket. It wasn't until Sahara took her into her arms that I realized she was crying.

"Ness talk to me," Sahara tried to coax a response out of her immobilized friend. Although Renesmee looked in better shape than Esme it was obvious the girl had also been in a struggle. Emileah and I stood awkwardly behind them. It took a few more minutes before Renesmee even responded. "Ness please," Sahara begged .

"She-" The half vampire's lips quivered before she continued. "She's gone. Just like all the rest." Strangely the words caused a pain in my chest. I didn't even know who she talking about but it felt like I'd just been told someone I knew-someone I actually cared about- had died.

"Who is?" Sahara asked gently and it was in that moment that the graves grabbed my attention again.

"My baby girl," Renesmee sobbed out. "Jada." The name sent a strange flurry of feelings through me and though I tried to ignore them it was like Emileah knew something was going on with me because she looked me dead in the eyes as Renesmee continued. "She's the only one who had a name. The only one that lived. She's the only-" Renesmee stopped to let out a strangled cry. "And they took her! That monster took her from me!" Sahara wrapped her arms totally around the newly hysterical Renesmee but it seemed like Emileah couldn't take her eyes off of me. As if she expected me to react horribly to this news.

I turned away.

The graves, I should have noticed before, were small and not spread out very far. It troubled me to realize that when Jacob had made that speech about how he and his imprint had been trying for kids he meant that they had tried, momentarily succeeded only to fail so many times. Seven graves. Seven babies.

Had they even made it to infancy? Had they been born or just miscarriages?

Seven children buried in this cold Alaskan ground never having seen the light of day.

I looked back up, sorrow no doubt heavy in my eyes as I finally returned Emileah's gaze again. She had held firm, staring at me. When it was obvious I would not fall apart she nodded and walked into Renesmee's line of sight. The elder female was still tightly clinging to Sahara but when Emileah lowered to her level she pulled away to give her attention.

"We're going to take you back to the house," Emileah began in an uncharacteristic gentle tone. "And then we're going to need you to tell us what happened." Renesmee nodded then allowed Sahara to effortlessly lift her and carry her back to the house.

And as I observed my two sisters walking side by side I realized something.

I realized how alike they were. I recognized Emileah's easy ability to be an understanding but determined young woman and I realized how Sahara, as a cold angry look settled in her eyes, could be a destructive machine. And then I saw how different they were from Renesmee. Sre she was a half vampire, but she was fragile. She was a dependant. My sisters were not.

I lingered behind them wondering if it was this moment in time that would forever change the dynamics between them.

Emileah always tended towards the darker side, being ruthless and uncaring in her conquests. While Sahara lived in the other half of the spectrum. But now I was faced with this beast in the middle ground that was strong and independent and quick to rage but compassionate to the deserving.

I shuddered to think that I would be accompanying these two and actually seem like I belonged there.

When we reached the mansion again Esme flittered out of the house already having cleaned herself up some and began putting the destroyed yard back into some sort of order. She stopped once Emileah said they may need to investigate the ground more. It wasn't hard to convince as she spent most of her time trying to console Renesmee who sobbed all the more after seeing her grandmother and their house in such disarray.

"I realize that this is hard," Emileah said having let her patience run thin. "But we really need to know what happened. And where everyone is." Esme glanced at Renesmee realizing the younger would not be in a state to share most of the story.

"We were surprised. No one expected that the attacks would come this close to home," Esme began but with the confused looks the three of us gave her she paused and appeared to be gathering her thoughts. "Perhaps I should backtrack?"

"Yes please." Emileah said gruffly. Esme ignored the tone and turned to face her.

"Your mother and Brady left Washington not too long after you did, after she had an altercation with some of the members of the other pack." It was obvious Esme was trying to explain some conflict in the most delicate way possible.

"Leah and Embry had a falling out," Renesmee explained not unlike her no good husband who blabs everything he knows to everyone. I'm not bitter. "Apparently someone influenced Embry into revising the treaty yet again and forbidding vampires and any known associates in LaPush." She sniffed and it awed me to see that her nose could actually turn slightly red from all of her crying. "He claimed that it was for safety reasons during the Haven attacks."

"Who would have encouraged him to do that?" I found myself asking.

"Who do you think?" Emileah said cutting in. "We all know it was Tenia. She's the only one he listens to anymore. Why do you think I got banished for so long?" That piece of news surprised me. This whole time I thought that decision was all Embry. I turned to see Renesmee nodding frantically.

"I try not to speak ill of others but that woman is evil! And to think my sweet Jada had to develop next to her offspring!" The mention of her daughter brought fresh tears to her eyes so Esme took over the story.

"The treaty in turn prohibited Carlisle from delivering the babies in LaPush where both Leah and Tenia wanted and Jake and Ness agreed to. Tenia though, wished for a more natural delivery with one of the tribe's midwives. Leah refused and decided she was having the babies here in Alaska with us and then proceeded to try and banish Tenia from the state of Alaska."

"Which we told her was impossible for her to do," Renesmee threw in.

"And then proceeded to tell Tenia that someone would send the child to her after it was born."

"I believe her exact words were: airmail the little brat back to Washington." Renesmee allowed a slight smirk at the memory. "Which she did. I mean minus the airmail part since Embry was allowed to visit during the birth to retrieve his child. Alone."

"How did the birth go?" Emileah asked and the concern in her voice caused everyone to pause. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Emileah actually did care for her mother's well being.

"It went well," Esme finally supplied. "She held tough as always. The babies were all healthy despite the length of the pregnancy."

"All?" Emileah asked and I didn't miss how both vampires glanced at each other.

"Yes, all." Emileah nodded accepting Esme's answer but there was still a question in her expression. "It wasn't until a few weeks after the babies' birth that Leah and Jacob came into contact with someone who knew of an impending attack as well as a lead on Tre's whereabouts."

"My dad?" Emileah asked with surprise evident in her voice. "Mom's looking for dad?" She asked not believing. Esme nodded.

"They all are. Leah was going to leave with just Brady but then Jacob wanted to go and Jacob's family to us so everyone else followed him. I offered to stay with Renesmee and Jada just so that they weren't completely alone but we figured there would be no disturbances this far north." Esme sighed as she ran a hand through Renesmee's hair. "Guess we were wrong."

"It was a trap," Sahara said suddenly. "The same thing happened to us. Whoever it was intended to distract us as well. Keep us busy with a forest fire threatening two packs in Alberta while they were here." Emileah growled lowly at Sahara's conclusion. "I'm sorry we weren't fast enough."Esme waved her off.

"We were all tricked," she countered. "We'll have to inform the others what has happened here."

"No," Emileah said sharply. "They already have enough on their plate. We don't know where they are and by the time they make their way back here the trail will be cold."

"What are you saying Em?" I asked not quite following where she was going with this which was happening a lot more than I liked.

"We'll find Jada. I already know how to track this…" she paused trying to think of what they called the kidnapper, "monster. What exactly did it look like?" Renesmee immediately started shaking her head.

"I don't know," she whispered sadly as she pulled her knees to her chest. "It roared and at first I thought maybe Jake had come back or something but its fur was bluish. Esme ran to defend us and told me to run away. I got as far as where you found me before I felt my arm get yanked out of socket then I passed out." Fresh tears flowed down her face. I made a note to the fact that the kidnapper didn't rip her arm off like Esme but rather incapacitated her. That meant the monster knew their limits and weaknesses."I woke up and J.T. was no longer in my arms."

"J.T?"

"It's what Jake likes to call her. Her full name is Jada Taylor Black so he calls her J.T. It was either that or Jay-Tay but aunt Rosalie put a stop to that immediately." She laughed a little even though she was still crying.

"Do you have a better description of the attacker?" Emileah asked Esme.

"Not much, but I know that he was as fast as a vampire. He was large and animal like. I'm not sure if he was a shifter but I could barely slow him down. He ripped me to pieces in seconds just from his brute strength. It was strange, it's like he didn't want to kill us only to get his target which was Jada."That confirmed my earlier thought. Emileah nodded as she took in the information.

"How long ago did you say this was?" Sahara asked and I was starting to worry about her especially at how lifeless her voice was starting to sound. I could only assume she was taking Renesmee's pain pretty hard.

"Maybe six or seven hours," Esme offered after Renesmee shook her head in helplessness at the question. "I'm not sure, I was blacked out for some of it before I could...pull myself together." I would have laughed at the literal statement had the circumstances been different.

"Then we need to go," Emileah started before Sahara interrupted.

"What about the other kids? You said aunt Leah gave birth to more than just Jada. Should we forewarn LaPush about a possible attack if he comes after Embry's kids?" She asked and Esme and Renesmee shared another one of those uneasy looks.

"You really don't know do you?" Esme asked gently as she looked between the three of us. We shook our heads slowly not understanding what she was talking about. Esme softened. "She'll be furious that I told you but," she mumbled but we still heard her. "Leah gave birth to three babies, Jada Taylor, Emery Call and there was another. Emery should be safe and sound with his parents."

"And the third?"

"Is with Sue." There was a silence. Why would Nana Sue be watching one of the kids? "How familiar are you with the term superfetation?"

"It sounds like a disease," I said worriedly.

"It means conception while pregnant," Renesmee explained. "Grandpa Carlisle thinks that Leah's condition was misinterpreted. Instead of her being barren, he thinks she's actually super fertile. It's why she was able to get pregnant with my daughter, Embry's son and-" She paused. "And her own."

Time stopped.

For me it did. Emileah actually took a step back at the news. The third kid was godmom's own child.

"Congratulations Emileah, you're the big sister to Terrance Adam Foster the third." Renesmee wiped her eyes as she relayed the news.

"They…my… "Emileah was stuttering, the news coming as an obvious shock to her. "It wasn't another-"

"Oh gosh no, dear!" Esme said quickly noticing the panic in Emileah's eyes. "It wasn't another incident like before. And that's not why your father left, Leah said that he probably didn't even know before he did leave. She assured us it was consensual on both their parts."

"Jake was ready to hunt the guy down and beat him if it hadn't," Renesmee added.

I couldn't listen. I didn't even care how awkward this conversation was. I couldn't stand the slight smiles on both Emileah and Sahara's faces.

All I could think about was the fact that some little infant just stole my place as Emileah's brother and Godmom's son.

* * *

**A/N: **Bet you didn't see that coming! Okay over the next few days I'll try to respond to reviews I've been neglecting. This is one of those times that I need an Emileah POV but I'm not messing up my story flow so if you want to know what she's really thinking you'll have to wait until I can figure out how to get her incorporated in Leo's POV. Oh and before I get questions next chapter will explain stuff about the babies but I'll do a refresher: Jake/Ness's kid fully develops in 4 to 5 months before birth. Embry/Tenia's kid develops in the normal 9 month and Tre the trilogy develops in 3 like Emileah and Sahara. Now it's been roughly 5 months since Leah got pregnant with the surrogacies and about 4 since her own. There's some food for thought...heh. I'm going to contine watching What Not to Wear now.


	62. Leonard's Reprise:13

_Wow Emileah! A baby brother! I'm so happy for you! _It was the first time Sahara had shown any type of happiness in almost a whole day. _You think if we went to LaPush they would let you see him?_

_No, we've got a job to do. You called and warned them about a possible attack so he'll be safe and I'll see him when all this is over and done with. _Emileah responded quickly and I realize that she had given thought to this beforehand.

_That's amazing though what Ness said, _Sahara recalled parts of the conversation I'd missed from being in my stupor. _They said Jada was able to create some type of shield to keep little Tre from being born earlier than the rest and to speed Emery's development up. _

_Yeah, she makes the other two develop at her pace, _Emileah chuckled. _She's already selfish like her parents. _Sahara did the mental equivalent of rolling her eyes at Emileah's insult of her friends but she was in too good a mood to let it stop her. I remained silent as we kept on the scentless trail left by the kidnapper.

We ran for days across Canada. The girls probably thought something was wrong with me since I had been staying quiet while we were phased. They had taken to staying in panther form more often than wolf now since it was the faster form of the two. I was always running a little behind them but that was the story of my life.

God I need to stop sounding so moody.

_You can say that again-_

_We're coming up on Lake Erie. You think we can hop the border and visit my parents? _Sahara asked interrupting Em's thought. Emileah considered it since our kidnappers trail was winding back into the States.

_Sure why not? They may have some details on my mom's whereabouts. _That was another thing. The lack of communication was worrisome. We hadn't heard from Collin since we left him to deal with the Alberta fire. Esme and Renesmee hadn't been able to get in touch with god mom or Jake or any of the vampires for that matter. We were starting to feel isolated so we could only hope that Uncle Seth and Aunt Tamyra had mental contact with godmom and Brady.

Getting into northern Ohio was easy. But Sahara told us that the place we were going had no trees, it was just a lot of flat land, which meant we were walking in human form.

"Hello, Mr. Fitzderm this is Sahara Clearwater. Yes, is my mother or father around?" We were standing outside of the city limits while Sare made a call to the mansion her and Emileah's grandparents owned. "Oh are they?" She sounded disappointed. "Is cousin LeAnn there? Oh she is? Good! Can I speak to her?" Sahara put the phone to her shoulder before whispering to us. "Mom and Dad are in a business meeting." Emileah and I simply nodded our heads so she pulled the phone back to her ear. "Oh LeAnn? Hi it's Sahara." She giggled. "Yeah I'm calling because my cousins and I are coming for a visit and I didn't get a chance to give mom and dad a heads up. You will? Thanks. Bye bye!" She hung up the phone before putting it in her bag. "That was LeAnn, she's mom and Uncle Tre's cousin. She's gonna tell mom and dad we're coming so we can go now."

Following Sahara to the Foster mansion was an experience in itself. Being exposed as we walked down endless roads near fields and farms really opened my eyes to how far removed from society we were. Car horns honked at us a few times. I guess seeing three overgrown, super fit teens walking around like they were homeless was a strange sight. I felt even more awkward when we reached the mansion.

"Sahara!" A short black woman enveloped Sahara in her arms when the door was opened. It wasn't until I took in the woman's slightly familiar features that I realized I really missed my own aunt. "How are you girl?"

"I'm fine LeAnn."

"And are these your cousins?" She looked around Sahara and spotted Emileah and myself. I gave a short wave while Emileah insisted on just giving the woman a head nod. Since I seemed friendlier she approached me first. "And whose child are you?" She asked smiling. The question shouldn't have caught me so off guard but it did and as soon as I frowned so did she. "Oh what did I say-"

"This is Leonard Uley," Sahara cut in before the situation could get any more uncomfortable. "He's my aunt Leah's godson."

"And Leah is Seth's sister correct?" LeAnn asked. Sahara nodded earning a displeased look from Emileah. She evidently did not like the sharing of this information with this woman she'd never met before. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to the family." She grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug.

"Thanks. It's nice to meet you as well."

"And who's miss sourpuss over there?" I held back a chuckle when LeAnn pulled away to tease Emileah.

"This is Emileah, she's Leah's daughter." LeAnn nodded but the inquisitive look on her face as she stepped closer to Emileah told me she was considering something.

"You're Tre's daughter aren't you?" Sahara gasped. Apparently in their visits they hadn't delved much information on Tre's involvement with Leah. Too bad this woman picked up on it in five minutes.

"What makes you say that?" Emileah challenged.

"You kinda look like him. Not to mention he used to be moody too. He would get teased because he would PMS more than Tammy, til he got older and started doing the whole strong silent type thing. Guess he thought it was sexy." Sahara and I burst out laughing at how straight faced she said all that. Emileah I could tell was holding back a grin. "Well come on in and meet some of the fam. I called Tammy and Seth and they said they would head back here as soon as they closed a deal." We all followed her into the house. Sahara was very comfortable, knowing most of the staff and family members. I didn't understand why so many people were just hanging around the house but Sahara explained that LeAnn probably rounded as many people up as she could after she had called. It was about 13 cousins later that Uncle Seth and Aunt Tamyra showed up.

"Hey kids," It was Uncle Seth that spotted us first. And boy did he look different. Dare I say he looked more adult. His hair was cut short and auntie's was long and straight. And they were both in business suits. When he noticed me eyeing his appearance he smiled cockily. "I got my grown man game on."

"Your grown man game?" Emileah asked amused.

"Yeah," Uncle Seth said losing some of his confidence. "That's what Donte called it when I got back from the barber."

"Yeah mane," came from one of the male Foster cousins behind us and I assumed it must be Donte. Seth nodded feeling good about his earlier statement again despite Emileah's head shaking.

"Daddy!" Sahara squealed before running to grab both her parents in a hug. Most of the Fosters cleared out of the house at this point.

"Hey Sare-Bear," he said hugging her tightly. He looked up and perused the remaining people again. "You brought the whole gang." Then he frowned. "Where's Collin?" The look we gave him made his frown deepen. Aunt Tamyra took this time to escort the remaining members of her family out of the house except for LeAnn. "Okay shoot." I gave a sideways glance to LeAnn. Uncle Seth didn't understand why we were remaining quiet.

"Oh don't worry about me," LeAnn began catching on to our hesitance. "Apparently I'm in the know now." This caught our attention. Emileah had a furious look on her face as she looked between the woman in question and her aunt and uncle.

"Your uncle Seth here," Aunt Tamyra began. "Kinda went crazy one night and phased in the back yard. Granted it was like 2am but it was in clear view of LeAnn's window." Seth looked down at his feet sheepishly. "We had to tell her everything."

"Don't worry I'm not a blabber mouth," the older woman explained. When Aunt Tamyra gave her a look suggesting otherwise I worried. "What? I kept the details about your and Tre's disappearance a secret from the family."

"That's because dad didn't even tell you where we were. _He_ didn't even know where we were!"

"Details details. My lips are sealed okay." Uncle Seth laughed at their banter. Emileah gave me a look obviously wanting me to explain.

"Last we heard from Collin was when we left him in Alberta."

"With the beaver triplets?" Uncle Seth asked a little too excitedly.

"Yeah," Did those triplets win over everybody? "They had a dispute and a forest fire that we think was being used as a distraction. He stayed there while we headed on the trail for our serial kidnapper."

"Which led to Alaska." Their eyes widened.

"Was anyone hurt?" Seth asked.

"Esme was pretty banged up but she's okay now, as was Renesmee. But Jada Taylor's been kidnapped we think." I paused while they took in the information looking remorseful. It was then that Emileah finally spoke up.

"You know where they are?" She asked accusingly. "Where my mom and the others are? You can contact them? You knew they left Alaska that's why you didn't ask about them." Our aunt and uncle looked for lack of a better term guilty. I sat gaping as to how Emileah picked up on clues so quickly.

"Leah told us they were on the move. She hasn't given me her exact location." Aunt Tamyra explained. "She said Collin was with you," she argued.

"He was but now we don't know where he is or where mom is. And now we have another kidnapping," Emileah almost yelled. She was angry. "Why wouldn't she tell me she was going after dad?"

And just like that I understood why Emileah was so focused on solving this crime.

She wanted to hurry and find her father. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Emileah," Aunt Tamyra began in a tone that signified she was about to explain something she would rather have someone else to. "Leah thinks, as a matter fact she knows that Tre is alive. And she knows that had you known that you would have gone after him."

"Then why-" Aunt Tamyra stopped her with a hand.

"She was trying to protect you. Tre's alive but she doesn't know for how long." The statement seemed to suck all the life out of the room. Even though I was angry at him for what he did to godmom, I couldn't help but feel upset at his possible death. "She didn't know how dangerous this was going to be. Why do you think she took most of the Cullens and Denalis and Jake with her?" Emileah ran a hand through her long hair. I could tell she was upset at the news. "If you've got a lead on the kidnapper follow it."

"Do you think you'll be able to get in touch with Collin?" I asked. I was worried about him even if he was older and more experienced. The longer I stayed an alpha the more protective I grew over my pack mates.

"Don't worry he'll find you." Uncle Seth's confidence in that statement confused me. "Imprinting is like human GPS. He'll find Emileah even if she's a world away."

"Oh don't I know it," aunt Tamyra suddenly grumbled her agreement. "Let's not talk about the time you burst into the women's restroom in the mall because you thought I was in trouble." Uncle Seth shrugged.

"I hadn't seen you in almost three hours!" Sahara shook her head at her parent's antics. I looked over and saw that Emileah had fallen silent again. She was still angry but she was choosing to hold it in.

"Why didn't you go after him?" She posed the question to Aunt Tamyra and everyone else fell silent again.

"Leah told me not to."

"And?" She asked as if that wasn't a good enough reason.

"And even if I wanted to I had no idea where to start. Tre wasn't in any of our minds anymore save Leah's and if she wasn't giving me a clue as to where he was, I would have been running blind. Apparently he has a stronger bond with Leah than he does his own sister," she said angrily. "Not that I'm surprised."

"Then why didn't you track him?" I take it back. Emileah wasn't just mad. She was furious. She respected Aunt Tamyra just as much as she did godmom. And she hardly ever talked back to her.

"We lost his scent in North Dakota," Uncle Seth explained. "We came across his scent around the time Leah first told us she had lost contact but after that nothing."

"And she knew this?" I knew Emileah was talking about godmom.

"Yes we informed her but she took no further action."After a moment Uncle Seth added: "she was _pregnant_ Emileah."

"Yeah with the alpha twerps and my brother." There were a round of gasps and it became evident that none of the adults in the room knew about the latter child. Not that LeAnn was expected to know much but still. Emileah laughed bitterly. "I'm guessing she didn't tell you about that either."

"Who-who's the father?" Seth choked out with eyes shifting frantically between the three of us.

"You get one guess," Emileah said.

"Tre." Surprisingly it was LeAnn who answered. She shrugged after receiving strange looks from my aunt and uncle.

"Guess what…she's right." Emileah said with false giddiness. "And no it wasn't another rape," she added much to their relief. And only moments later it brought another expression to Uncle Seth's face.

"You mean…" he paused as if the idea was completely foreign to him. "Leah actually likes Tre. I mean like _like_ him?" No one answered but the silence seemed to say it all. "What planet have I been on?"

"What planet have we all been on?" Aunt Tamyra added wonderingly. "Can't believe she kept that a secret from me," she murmured in complete disbelief. Truthfully I thought it was a wonder godmom hadn't told Aunt Tamyra about her baby. They told each other everything. Unless…godmom didn't even know about her new son. "Have you seen the baby?" She turned to ask Emileah who shook her head in the negative.

"The baby's with Nana Sue on the Rez-"

"I'm sure mom would bring the baby to Forks or wherever so you could see him," Uncle Seth explained not letting Emileah finish her explanation. "A nephew! And a Clearwater at that!" That statement stung me in the worst way. Between Uncle Seth's excitement and the fact that I was no longer the brother but Leah's god son while we stood around in a house that belonged to my second cousin's relatives that were in no way blood related to me…was really starting to make me feel more awkward than I've ever felt.

"Technically he's a Foster," Emileah explained dryly. "His name's not hyphenated like mine." This statement caused Aunt Tamyra some worry.

"LeAnn make a note, my father is never to hear about that boy." LeAnn nodded her understanding though I was completely lost.

"Why not?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"If my father finds out he technically has a male heir outside of his son, he'd flip." She turned to Emileah. "Your brother would turn up missing and enrolled in some private school and you would never see him again until he was twenty five and on the cover of Forbes." I would have laughed if not for the seriousness in aunt Tamyra's voice and the fact that LeAnn was nodding along with her statements.

Seriously, this guy must be insane.

"Do I get to meet the old man," Emileah asked suddenly at the mention of her grandfather. "I mean Sahara would go on and on about him-"

"Yeah sure, Sare will show you her where he is. LeAnn could you go with them just so he doesn't say anything too off the chain?" The three got up to leave. "You can go with them if you'd like Leo." I thought for a moment before shaking my head. I didn't want to go. I already felt uncomfortable being here, going to meet Sahara and Emileah's grandfather would just make me feel like I'm intruding.

I hadn't felt like this my whole life. Now suddenly I felt like the red haired adopted child.

Funny how one day can change your whole life.

"Remember you can contact us if you need anything," Aunt Tamyra reassured for about the tenth time. "And keep us updated."

"And you do the same please," Emileah asked. We had spent the better part of the evening at the Foster mansion. Catching up with Uncle Seth had been amusing. He sure knew how to raise damp spirits without even trying.

"_Can't believe my own nephew became an alpha before I did!" I briefly wondered when I would stop being nephew and just -God forbid- Sam's kid. "Oh well Jake always said I was too much of a softy to lead anyways."_

"_Who's Jake to talk?" Emileah had spit out bitterly. "Right now he's leading a pack of vampires. What kind of alpha wolf helps the enemy?" Uncle Seth just shook his head in disappointment knowing better than to try and battle Emileah or I on the point._

As the butler shut the front door we took a few moments to breath in the night air.

"So, where to, chief?" Sahara asked Emileah. The latter glanced at the two of us.

"We find us a kidnapping monster. But first, did everyone go to the bathroom?" I grinned at her question then became even more amused when Sahara started nodding her head excitedly like an accomplished little kid. "Good because I want this beast caught within the week."

And a week is exactly how long it took for us to lose the trail.

"Get out the road you freaky kids!" One particularly irate driver yelled out of his car window to us. I mean given the fact that we were standing in human form in the middle of a busy intersection in some city in the Midwest of the US sniffing around probably made some people think we were on drugs.

"Emileah don't you think we should get out of the way?" Sahara suggested shyly. Emileah ignored her, completely upset by the fact that our scentless trail we were following all of sudden was nowhere to be found. It was like the guy turned off his cloaking abilities so that he now had a scent. But he turned it on in the middle of a busy city that wreaks of millions of scents.

In short, the guy knew we were following and got smart.

"Dang it!" Emileah yelled before giving in and allowing us all to escape the many vehicles that planned to ram us if we didn't move. "I don't know which scent is his."

"And who knows if he still has Jada, we haven't caught her scent either," Sahara added.

"Wouldn't he have been cloaking her scent as well?" I was asking the obvious but it helped to make sure everyone was on the same mind track.

"Yeah but we don't even know her scent to begin with," Emileah answered. "If we did we could-" she stopped as she and Sahara's heads snapped up at the same time in some ground shaking revelation. "We need her scent but which wolf can we connect to-"

"None of them," I cut in realizing where they were going with their thoughts. "We're a separate pack now and the only wolves that would know Jada's scent-"

"Are Jake, Aunt Leah, and Brady," Sahara finished for me.

"Which means we're sunk." Her shoulders slumped in response to my statement.

"We're not sunk," Emileah cut in and I raised an eyebrow in anticipation of a rare bout of optimism from her. "We just have to work harder. The guy's a smart criminal obviously if he's been getting away with this so long. This isn't just going to be handed to us on a silver platter." Granted Emileah's form of optimism wasn't very uplifting. It was more of a reality check. "We could get killed doing what we do," a very real, reality check.

But somewhere in there it had to give her the drive to keep going. I wasn't sure if it was her dad, or needing to prove herself to godmom, or just finally getting out on her own. All I knew was that Emileah was determined and for a teen girl with being conceived from a rape and being banished from her home, I found myself impressed and respectful.

"Then we keep looking," I said causing the girls to look at me. "And we don't stop."

* * *

**A/N: **Hey peeps! I know it took me a while to update but I wrote a lot. I had a problem because I stopped liking my ending but I'm just gonna keep going cause I can't come up with another ending...that would explain everything. LOL oh I'm going on vaca guys so it may be some time before another update.


	63. Leonard's Reprise:14

We had been travelling for days. Weeks. I couldn't tell anymore. All I recalled was two days ago we were near Utah and hadn't picked up a lead yet. We had issued a watch through all the Havens across the country for any suspicious activity and whereabouts on a dark bluish wolf like creature. Of course these findings had brought up zip.

Then there was the fact that it had gotten around that the policing pack was being run by a bunch of kids and that the kidnapper/murderer from months ago was still on the lamb. Which of course resulted in outcry and demands for Leah and Terrance's whereabouts.

Surprise surprise, when we couldn't even identify their location most of the other shifters accused us of chasing our own kind, saying crap like we're concocting this whole thing, kidnapping and murdering shifters so we can steal power from Clarice's panther pack.

Needless to say this has left us all a bit frazzled.

"I can't listen to this crap anymore," Emileah grumbled at our most recent campsite. "Turn the radio off!" I complied and switched off my radio that flooded all the latest gossip from the Haven ambassadors.

"You would think Clarice would have people on hand to handle such negative PR," Sahara moaned.

"She did," Emileah said and followed it with a dry laugh, "Dad." Sahara nodded her head in sad agreement.

"Well what are we gonna do?" I asked after a few moments of dead silence between us. "We can't just camp out here in no man's land forever. We have to do something."

"Well I'm sorry prince Leo," Emileah shot back. "Let me just go and make a hint appear." She threw a stick into our small campfire. "This isn't a friggin game of Clue. Colonel Mustard didn't do it in the library with a candlestick!" I remained silent after her grumbling. I knew better than to make her anymore upset. It was just harder because I was just at a loss. We were getting nowhere. Fast.

"Maybe we should retrace our steps," Sahara threw in but Emileah cut her off with a hand wave.

"We've done that already. We retrace our steps anymore and we'll just be hunting down our own scents." And it was that simple statement that brought back the weirdest memory.

"_What kind of policing pack are we if we can't even find a giraffe hideout?" Collin had asked in one of the rare moments that we travelled by rental car. "They're freaking giraffes! They're huge!" Tre was driving while Godmom was in the front passenger seat. The car was small…like mini cooper small… because we had to rent two vehicles. I found myself uncomfortably smashed in the back between Collin and Brady. The woes of being an eight year old._

" _Dude if they were easy to find, everyone would know about them," Brady explained. "They have to hide from humans remember."_

"_Yeah I get that," Collin said. "But shouldn't Tre or Lee be able to find them easily? I mean, they are our kind."_

"_Shut your mouth Collin!" Godmom spat. I hadn't noticed until that moment how tense everyone was. "I've been stuck in this god awful sardine can for 16 hours and if I hear your complaining mouth one more time I'm gonna-"_

"_Leah calm down," Tre tried to appease but was getting overshadowed by godmom's screaming. "I don't have wolf insurance on this hunk a junk."_

"_Oh you can shut up too!" Godmom snapped turning on Tre. She ended the note with a smack to his head._

"_L.C., I'm tryna drive here!" he moaned while gripping the steering wheel tighter with one hand and rubbing his head with the other. _

"_Okay, okay I think everyone is getting just a little tense for me," Brady said as he tried to gain control of the car. "I'm channeling my inner Seth right now 'cause he's in deathtrap number two but I think at the next hotel stop we should just relax with a nice game of Twister." I looked around at everyone when a strange silence filled the car. "What? Nothing clears the mind like a good stretch of those limbs."_

"-even if we headed back up there, there's no way we wouldn't run into another dead end." It took me a moment to realize the girls had still been talking but I didn't care. I had an idea.

"Guys," they both stopped talking to look at me. "I think we should play a game."

And I'm pretty sure I just received identical looks of WTF?

* * *

**A/N: **Ok back in the day(May 2009) I used to be able to update two or three chaps a day...now you guys are lucky to get a chap or two every few weeks. My bad. (I say that alot) It's partially because I have a James Cameron Avatar fic and partially because I'm being lazy lol. Does anyone even remember Clue like my fic Clue not the game? Sorry my ff nostalgia is kicking in.


	64. Leonard's Reprise:15

"Really Leo?" Emileah asked dryly even though she had agreed to my proposition. "Truth or Dare? Way to send me back to middle school." Sahara giggled and I smiled internally, thankful that some of her hard feelings toward us had dissipated. Perhaps the chance to see her parents had done her some good. "It's not like we're in the middle of a case we have to solve or chasing a dangerous menace across the country-"

"Will you just give this a chance?" I asked, not really in the mood to hear her sarcasm at the moment. "Please?" I threw in for good measure. She looked away which was as good a sign I was going to get that she would cooperate. "Okay who's first?" I asked as we sat in a triangular formation on a cliffside. I briefly wondered what state we were in.

"This was your idea," Sahara began looking at me with this subtle excitement in her eyes. "So you go first." There were no objections from Emileah so I agreed.

"Okay," I looked between my two sisters and found that I was actually kind of excited to play as well. The three of us hadn't had a chance to just relax and be silly in a long while. "Sahara, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she said quickly with a slight bounce in her upper body. "Just because I know the first dare is probably going to be, go jump off that cliff and I really don't want to." Emileah let out one quick laugh at her explanation as I thought of a good question to ask her. It was hard because I felt like Sahara was an open book. It was Emileah who I really wanted to pose questions to.

"Is it true that-"

"Stop!" Emileah commanded cutting me off. "It's a corny question, I know that look." I paused to evaluate whatever look I was supposedly giving her. "How about we make this interesting? Since there's only three of us, we do an odd man out kind of thing. The other two are in cohorts against whoever's turn it is." Sahara and I shrugged. "That way we don't have to listen to Leo's lame excuses for questions. You know boys suck at the Truth part of Truth or Dare." Sahara laughed at my expense. I on the other hand, took offense to that comment.

I was a fairly good Truth or Dare player. But I went along with her plan anyway.

"Fine, Emileah what should we ask?" Emileah only smirked at my question. It was almost as if she were waiting for this if the evil glint in her eye didn't give her away.

I started getting nervous for Sahara who was smiling, oblivious to whatever torture Emileah was about to inflict.

"True or false," Em spared a quick glance at me before continuing. "You want to have your first baby with Brady before you're 19."

"Emileah!" Sahara squealed appalled. Her eyes widened in shock and nervousness. "I told you that in confidence!" Emileah started laughing and I felt kind of bad for Sahara.

Actually I just plain felt bad as in sick to my stomach. I certainly did not want to hear Sahara's plans that involved Brady.

"What's the big deal?" Emileah asked finally gaining some control of herself though the laugh was still in her voice. "It's only Leo-"

"The big deal is that I didn't want anyone to know! Now how is he supposed to keep that out of his mind when he phases and Collin comes back? Collin will tell Brady!" Sahara covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh, calm down, it's not that bad," Emileah said getting annoyed with Sahara's high pitched shrieks. "And plus you haven't said if it was true or false-"

"Of course it's true!" She admitted but continued to bury her head in her hands and knees.

"I guess that makes it my turn," I offered mainly to get the focus off of Sahara.

"What'll it be Leo, truth or dare?" Emileah asked. I hesitated. My instinct was to go with dare but I thought I'd make the game interesting.

"Truth." Emileah's eyes got that glint again and I felt my under arms start to itch in nervousness. Sahara's head popped up curiously and I watched as my two sisters seemed to silently communicate with each other.

"Who initiated and ended the thing between you and Clarice?" Had I been drinking or eating something I would have choked.

So they pulled out the big guns right off the bat.

"Is that even fair," I asked trying to stall for as long as possible, "combining two questions into one like that?"

"Rules weren't set," Emileah justified. I rolled my eyes knowing I couldn't get out of this one.

"It's kind of unclear, it just kind of happened," I admitted recalling my birthday night. "I guess we both just kind of started it. I think we tried to end it a few times but it was over and done with when I said I was coming back to Washington." I thought about the last time Clarice and I had spoken. Ever since the night we'd spent together it felt like she was always torn between keeping me by her side and giving me the cold shoulder.

"Why did you come back?"

"Hey, one truth per turn," I argued, refusing to answer that question. "It's your turn now, truth or dare?" Emileah just smirked at me before answering.

"Dare." Sahara let out this squeal of protest at Emileah's answer. Apparently she hoped for the chance of some payback as did I. Emileah only laughed at us. Sahara and I looked at each other, unsure of what to make her do.

"Oh, I have one!" Sahara said after a moment of contemplating. "I dare you to phase from your wolf form to panther form."

"What?" I asked in surprise of the simple dare. "That's not a real dare-"

"What she means is she wants me to phase to wolf and then straight from wolf form phase to panther without turning human first." I thought about it and realized I had never seen either of my sisters do such a feat. I was intrigued as I watched Emileah move a few paces from us and ready herself for the intense transformation. She took in slow deep breaths and closed her eyes to concentrate. I looked to Sahara to see her reaction and found that she was just as intrigued as I was. Her change to wolf form was smooth, almost eerily silent but I knew because that was her natural form the real test would be building up enough aggression and anger to change straight from wolf to panther.

"I almost want to tell her to stop," Sahara suddenly admitted without looking at me. "The last time she tried this, she broke both arms." My eyes widened in alarm. Emileah huffed a response. I noticed how her claws dug into the ground and I briefly wondered if she was nervous. Something told me to stop her. I didn't want her to needlessly get hurt. Sahara started moving her own fingers in anticipation which only caused me to get more anxious.

"Em maybe you shouldn't-" I was cut off when she let out a loud howl and leaped over us. I followed with my eyes as her body extended in the air and there was this almost deafening boom. The thud that followed let me know she had landed. Gone was the grey wolf that leapt into the air and present was the hissing black panther. She turned to face us and even in that form I could tell she was excited that she had accomplished the transformation. I didn't believe it was possible for a panther to look smug but Emileah did and just to rub it in she barred her fangs at Sahara and hissed who hissed right back but was still in awe at Emileah's feat. After a few moments she changed back to human not bothering to rifle through her bag to find another shirt to cover her see through phasing top.

"It's Sare's turn again," she said as she sat in her previous seat, still heavily breathing from her exertion.

"Truth," she said quickly and I immediately turned to Emileah.

"True or false," Emileah began and I assumed that Emileah just carried these questions around with her given she could spout them off so quick. "When Collin and Brady explained imprinting to us, you immediately took to Brady." Sahara's smiled completely disappeared. And I mean completely disappeared. The rest of her body language just screamed unhappiness as soon as the words left Emileah's lips. I instantly knew Emileah had crossed some type of line.

"Em-"

"Well?" she questioned Sahara cutting me off. "You asked for it, true or false?" Sahara looked down at the ground.

"False," she whispered and even with my hearing I barely heard it. It surprised me because I had always believed that Sahara had fallen for Brady immediately.

"Why?" Emileah asked and Sahara glared at her. Like actually glared. Emileah wasn't affected in the slightest.

"One question per turn," I intervened not liking the side of Sahara that Emileah was bringing out. "It's my turn now," I insisted feeling protective over Sahara even from Emileah. She turned her smirk on me and I instantly regretted opening my mouth.

"Why'd you leave us?" It startled me when the question came not from Emileah but from Sahara. I turned to see her staring intently at me no sign of her smile returning anytime soon. Emileah made no protest to the question so I was forced to answer.

"That's a pretty loaded question," I said thinking that as opposed to Sahara's truths where she just said one word I had to explain. I rubbed my arm feeling uncomfortable as I gathered my thoughts.

"I…" I paused. How could I tell them that I left because I didn't feel like one of the family anymore? How could I tell them that I felt betrayed? How do I go about explaining my contradicting feelings about Jacob Black and why I wished that my father had been more like him yet I couldn't stand the man and did not want him to be my father through imprinting on his soon to be spoiled rotten daughter? And in the same moment to learn that the only man that I had really thought of as a father, was worst than my absentee one. "I couldn't handle all the lies. I was trapped and I needed to get out for a while."

"Emileah truth or dare?" Sahara snapped and I realized that after my explanation she had become even angrier. What did I say?

"Dare."

"I dare you to go smack Leo's lying face off his body!"

"What?" I was in shock. The sheer venom that flowed through Sahara's words had me questioning the universe in that moment. "I'm not lying!"

"He's right, he's not lying," Emileah said surprisingly coming to my defense. "He's just withholding the truth." Never mind.

"I'm not ly-" I didn't get any farther as Emileah chose that moment to run over and smack me as hard as she could. For a moment the pain was so intense that I didn't feel anything, my face went numb and I thought I had actually died.

Then my eyes starting burning with tears.

"Cry from that and I'll kill you myself." Emileah said staring at me as I slowly turned my head to face her again. I didn't cry but that hit just hurt so bad. "Sahara truth or dare?" Emileah asked her without breaking her stare down with me. I held her gaze as we had this silent war standing about a foot away from each other.

"Truth." And that's when I broke my gaze. I didn't understand why Sahara continually put herself through Emileah's torture. I looked at her imploringly.

"Why didn't you say dare?" I asked and Sahara's frown deepened.

"Why didn't you take to Brady at first?" Sahara looked torn. It was as if she were angry with me but too stubborn to take my advice so she chose to answer Em's questions despite how uncomfortable they were. It was starting to make me angry how stubborn and stupid she was being.

"Because I was in love with someone else," she said and my anger all but dissipated. "Because I _thought_ I was in love with someone else." I barely caught Emileah's smirk that was in complete contrast with Sahara's downtrodden look.

And then I knew.

"Me?" I asked and felt bad about how disgusted I sounded. "Sahara, I'm your…we're cousins!" It was all I could say but my tone hadn't gotten better. Sahara refused to look at me and I see her shudder with each of my words but I couldn't stop talking. "You're my sister, you couldn't love me!" Emileah started shaking her head and I wanted so badly to tell her off but Sahara was still my focus in that moment. Then I hit that moment where I said the one thing I wish I hadn't. "That's absolutely disgusting and sick-"

"Just shut up!" She screamed and I did as I was told. "Shut up!" It remained dead silent save for Sahara's shuddering breaths and insane amount of control it took to keep her from phasing. "I was young and we're _second_ cousins. I liked you and I felt bad for you but somewhere along the way-" she stopped to wipe the tears flowing down her cheeks. "Somewhere along the way I starting caring about you more than I should and wanted to protect you and I thought I loved you. But I knew that if given the choice it would always be Emileah over me. It's _still_ always Emileah over me."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing but at the same time I could. I loved both of my sisters but now that it was brought to my attention, I realized that I was closer to Emileah. Maybe it was because deep down, I felt I could relate to her more and I sometimes overlooked Sahara. She was the happy one, the oblivious one, the nice one, like her father.

But these past few weeks I was coming to realize that that wasn't the case at all.

"I don't…"Everything Emileah had been saying to me, all those hints she had been dropping came flooding back. "I'm not in love with Emileah."

"That's not the point!" Sahara screeched in a voice of someone at their wits end. "The point is that you love her more than me! And there's nothing I can do to change that." She whispered the last part before grabbing her bag and darting out of sight. I watched her retreating form, feeling horrible. I slowly turned to face Emileah who was still staring at me. "I guess making her get mad at me is some sort of accomplishment for you?"

"You needed to know," she said as if she were some wise guru. "It was tearing her up inside and I knew she wouldn't get it out unless someone forced her to."

"Then why didn't you just command her to delve all her secrets?" I asked in disgust. She shoved me in the shoulder.

"She's been wanting you to notice her for years, Leo. She thought that if she always acted like my polar opposite that everyone would _love_ her because she knew that people tended to stay away from me because of my attitude or whatever." A hand slid up to her hip. "It's why she took the imprint so quickly, why she's optimistic about everything. It's a front." She paused to see if I had a response yet but I remained silent. "I tried not to give her so much crap for acting so phony but it was getting on my nerves because the only person she wanted to care wa_s_ _you_. And you didn't. She knows you've been humoring her all these years, she's not dumb."

"I don't think she's dumb!" was my only rebuttal. "It's just…she's not…I can't help who I like to hang around. I love her as my sister…I just…you and I…" I was stumbling over my words.

"You and I know what it's like to suffer," Emileah offered and I nodded in agreement. "She's the pretty castle princess and I'm some foot soldier."

"More like warrior princess." I corrected and she smirked slightly. "How do I fix this?" I asked and Emileah frowned.

"I'm not sure you can," Emileah said finally turning away from me. "Not everything can be fixed, Leonard." I tensed when she said my full name. "I always looked up to my mother. There were some things I could never relate to but one thing I hated was that she never gave in to my dad. Always growing up, it felt like they were teasing me, depriving me of a real family because they both loved me but not each other but they were just good friends." She made a face when she mocked the words. "I hated it. Then I found out about the rape and my world crumbled. Instantly realized I was the glue to this whole thing. Sometimes glue just holds…it doesn't fix. They were together for me but they weren't together, together." She kicked at the ground furiously still not facing me. "And I decided then that imprinting was horrible because it only caused pain. It took your dad from my mom and it forced my parents together when they weren't even sure they wanted to be. It's why I'm how I am with Collin."

"Emileah," I began, taking in her words. "Do you hate Collin?"She held her breath before slowly turning to face me again. She looked past me, her eyes dazed and unfocused; unblinking.

"No," she breathed out and I took in a slow breath. "The imprint causes pain when you deny your feelings. I've been in pain everyday because I warped it in my mind that I wanted the pain. Because that was the only way to honor my mother. The only way to be who she wanted me to be. By forcing Collin away." She stopped and I'm sure I stopped breathing realizing where she was going with this. "I lo… I love Collin."

"Emileah," I breathed out not even knowing how to handle this news. Listening to this as she admitted this and I could see all that turmoil in those unfocused eyes. "You can't keep doing this to him, to yourself." I couldn't imagine her pain and I didn't understand. How could she just live all these years thinking that personal turmoil was better than happiness? How could she even think her mother would appreciate that? "No one would think less of you. Give in to it if it makes the pain go away!"

"No!" She barked finally bringing her gaze back to me. "I can't. It'll make me weak! No one's strong anymore because they let love get in the way of everything. Think of common good. Not the good of one person."

"Em-"

"And now Mom has given in as well to the imprint. I won't or the world will end."

"The world?" I asked afraid that Emileah was starting to go crazy. A minute ago she was wishing that her parents were together now she's angry that she's done just that."Em what are you-"

"Everyone's imprinting! Everyone! Why is that, Leo? To make stronger wolves. Why do we need stronger wolves?" I didn't answer quick enough for her. "Think Leo! Why? Because something's coming to destroy us! If we don't stop it now, we, our children, and our grandchildren are going to be fighting for their lives! You saw that picture in that book I translated!"

I felt like Sarah Conner being told she needed to stop Judgment Day.

"I'm sure it's not that serious," though the hint of doubt and uncertainty had already been planted. "You shouldn't be thinking and doing these things to hurt people and keep them away because you think the end of the world is coming. You need to live in the day." That probably sounded a lot more encouraging in my head but it just came out weak and uncertain.

"And what about you with your mommy issues? You go after Clarice because she reminds you of my mom? Did Sam pass his obsession with my mother down to his spawn? Or better yet did you sleep with her because you wanted to get back at Tre for knocking up my mother?" She laughed and it was just so evil that I was seriously considering the mental health of my sister. "First Sahara then you, you two make me sick. Sometimes I wish I was a lone wolf. I think Jacob Black had the right idea, about not having a pack but not about the vampires because if I had the chance, I'd hunt them all down and burn 'em."

When she finished she was breathing heavily and I realized she was itching to phase. I had taken a few steps back.

"Emileah calm down."

"Sometimes, Sahara thinks about ripping you to shreds. We'd think about going around and just killing everyone that was weak and worthless." I flinched at the imagery and how easily Emileah said it. "Shocking, huh? I'm the only one that knows how she really feels. Brady probably doesn't even know. Boy is he gonna be in for it when they get married." She laughed again, this time a little less sadistic. Stress on the little less part. "Guess I'll have to wait for the kids to grow up and train them the right way. I'm going for a run." She sprinted off and I just stood there.

This stress reliever game was the worst idea I've ever had in my life.

Yes, ever in life.

* * *

**A/N: **That's what I call an explosion of built up feelings. Raise your hand if you guessed Emileah's true feelings for Collin…or Sahara's for Leo. Or if you think a giraffe pack would be hard to find lol.


	65. Leonard's Reprise:16

"_I've decided to return home," everyone fell silent. I don't know what possessed me to tell Clarice this now, while there was an audience of some of her pack members. Her back was turned to me as she discussed things with them until I had spoken. It was the afternoon and while most would have assumed I had just woken up, I had been up for hours. Agonizing over Clarice's feelings for me, mine for her, and the fact that she had little qualms about cheating on her husband, Jay. _

"_Oh?" She finally asked pretending to not be interested, or maybe she really didn't care. She was hard to read sometimes, in the way that one day she's completely open with me and the next she treats me like a kid that she has to shield from the real world by shutting me out. "What brought this on?"_

_I hesitated before answering. Should I tell her that I was confused about how I felt about her? Or should I tell her that even though her marriage to her husband was more about upholding traditions and unity in the pack since he was alpha male, didn't make it any easier for me accept her affair with me? Maybe I should just act like the child she thinks I am and tell her I'm homesick. _

"_I think I've overstayed my welcome." She tensed and straightened which told me I had her attention. She shooed the panthers wanting her time then turned to face me finally. "I mean, I appreciate what you've done for me here, and for giving me the time of day, and listening to me-"_

"_Leonard, I don't understand," she said while shaking her head and coming closer. I sighed hoping that she would have just let me go, considered our time together a fling, no strings attached._

_That would have been better even if I would have to burden my own feelings._

"_I can't do this anymore." Before I could even get the words out she was reaching for me. Her arms wrapped around my torso and she buried her face into my chest. It was times like this that actually made me feel like the man in the relationship, the protector. _

"_I don't love Jay," she said but it was muffled in my shirt. "I respect him, I like him, he is the father of my sons but I didn't choose him. I had to please the pack, keep us strong." And it was these words that made it so much harder to leave. "I like you Leo."_

"_But you don't love me." She couldn't correct me. "You don't love me because we aren't meant to be together." She finally released me, slowly looking up into my face. She wasn't crying, for that I was thankful but I could see the subtle pain flash through her eyes. _

"_Have you imprinted?" She asked softly and I saw her right hand curl into a fist._

"_Not yet," I said quickly noticing the telltale signs of anger coming from her. "But I have this…intuition about these things and I know that I'm not your soul mate." It was the first time I'd told anyone about my ability since I ran from Alaska. _

"_I don't want you to leave," she admitted but it was more of just a statement. "But you must miss your family. And the LaPush pack." She was pulling herself together, putting up her defenses and I wasn't sure if I should be thankful she was letting me leave so easily or shake her because she was shrouding her feelings and being diplomatic as usual. It was those traits that got her stuck in this loveless marriage._

"_I do," I agreed but couldn't say more. This was partially my fault. But I knew I couldn't let this go on. _

"_Well, when shall you be departing?" And just like that she was Alpha Clarice again. And I was Leah's kid. No longer were we lovers or confidantes. It was my world and hers and something told me they weren't going to collide on this level again. _

"_Tomorrow." She blinked rapidly which was the only sign she was surprised by my decision._

"_So soon, well I'll be sure to have a proper send off for you." She turned to walk away from me but I couldn't take it. A proper send off was not going to be our breakup._

"_Clarice." She stopped moving. "I'm sorry, it's just that I feel like I've been giving you my whole heart and have been getting nothing in return. I can't-"_

"_-Get hurt. I understand." I didn't want to leave her like this, sounding so sad. It was times like this that I wished I had never come. I was too young to be dealing in such an adult situation but I'd got myself into this mess. I had to get out._

"_Please just tell me that he loves you." It was hypocritical of me to hope that another guy that she didn't love, was loving her when I was leaving her for that very reason. _

"_Who?" She asked and I caught her sad smile. "The man I'm married to or the man I'm in love with?" It stung. She loved someone else. It was foolish but I felt jealous of the man that had already stolen the heart of the woman I thought I loved. She continued speaking before I could bring myself to answer. "It's the same on both accounts: no." _

_I felt so guilty that I almost wanted to beg her to just fall for me. Whoever was ignoring her didn't deserve her. Neither did Jay, because he was probably just with her for the Alpha Male position._

_She walked back towards me and placed a hand on my cheek. "Find yourself a nice girl. Love her, make her happy, don't break her. Treat her like a queen. And if she tries to push you away…don't let her because it could be the worst mistake of her life." And I knew that we weren't talking about me anymore. Before I could respond again she briskly walked away. _

_Crap! _I screamed when something sharp dug into both my ankles and flipped me upside down into the air. I was dangling from a tree and I wanted to slap myself for getting caught by such a primitive trap. I could feel blood seeping down my legs and considering I was upside down, the blood loss combined with blood rushing to my head made me fell dizzy very quickly.

"Who are you?" A group of three men ran and stood beneath me carrying these heavy duty side arms. "Speak!" The leader waved the gun in my direction.

"Leonard Uley," I gasped. I sniffed and realized that while they smelled mostly human there was an inhuman smell permeating all of them but I couldn't recognize it. "Haven policing pack." I said hoping against all hope that they were familiar with the terms. The leader started speaking in Spanish I think but I wasn't sure considering my quickly approaching unconsciousness. "Please release me." They ignored me.

"What is your rank?" The shortest of them asked now positioning his gun closer to my head. I panicked thinking that they may kill me just because of my rank. But what could I say? I couldn't lie could I? That might get me in worst trouble.

Why oh why did I go off on my own away from Em and Sare? Oh that's right we're all angry with each other. I started internally cursing that Truth or Dare game again.

"Alpha male." My vision went out of focus and I only hoped that I would actually wake from this darkness. Everything was black, I heard the slicing of a rope but I barely noticed my body slamming into the ground.

* * *

**A/N: **Ok guys we're finally getting into some stuff…kinda. And we know why Leo came back to Washngton.I'd give a guestimate as to how many more chapters buuuuuuut I don't know cause I've started combining to make bigger chaps. I just really don't want this story to go over 100 chaps….actually not even 80. Hopefully I can finish it in 75 or less.


	66. Leonard's Reprise:17

I came to and was grateful for the fact that I hadn't died.

Well at least I hoped I hadn't died because if I did, that meant the afterlife was a cave, a very large gigantor cave that could hold a house inside of it easily. And who wants to spend eternity in a cave?

I started to sit up but groaned and realized that my muscles must still be sore from my incident.

"Hello?" My voice echoed and I didn't want to know how far this cave went on for.

"Hello," came an unexpected response. I turned quickly ignoring the tense muscles in my neck to look for the source. "It seems our guest is finally awake." A man came from the shadows of the cave, smirking.

That's never a good sign.

"Who are you?" I demanded hoping he didn't pick up on my nervousness. I had no clue where I was and by the looks that man was giving me, I seriously hoped those crack heads hadn't sold me into some slave ring while I was sleeping.

"The real question is who are you and what are you doing on our land?" The man responded smoothly but I noticed that he didn't move far enough out of the shadows for me to get a good look at him. I took note of the fact he kept using the plural which meant there were others. And I was wary of giving him my information.

"I told your posse already," I said trying to muster as much courage into my voice as I could. "Leonard Uley, Alpha Male of the Haven policing pack." I didn't feel too worried about giving my information out, I mean come on, these people live in a cave. How could they find me in the system?

"My posse?" He questioned and a flash of bright teeth showed me he found my statement humorous. "You are North American born and raised no doubt." I didn't answer considering he phrased it more like a statement. "Tell me Mr. Uley, who are you really?" I blanked. It felt like I'd just stepped into a shrink's office and was being questioned on my views on life. "Surely there's more to you than just being an alpha male to a…mediocre wolf pack." I growled at his insult to my pack on instinct which caused him to smile. I didn't give much thought to fact that he already knew my shift.

"He doesn't have to tell you anything!" I craned my neck behind me to find Emileah and Sahara entering the cave from the darkness outside. "He's with us, so you can release him." It surprised me that it was Sahara who was speaking with such a demanding tone but I really should stop being so surprised when it comes to those two.

"And you are, my chickas?" My captor asked maintaining his position shrouded in the shadows of the cave.

"Alpha Female," Sahara spoke and I kept my face expressionless lest my captor catches onto whatever lie my sisters were beginning to concoct. "This is my beta." She pointed to Emileah who remained behind her and dutifully silent.

"Beautiful team," the man murmured before motioning somewhere above us. I struggled to look up only then noticing my legs were chained to the ground. There were ledges that outlined the perimeter of the cave's ceiling. And on one of those ledges sat a few people. They were so high up that I hadn't noticed them before. "My mate Cassandra." A woman in a slinky dress with blond locks that flowed to her mid back and slightly tanned skin stood. "We have been together since the 18th Century."

"255 years darling," the woman corrected drawing another smile from the man though his line of sight I assumed was still locked on our trio.

"And the flame is still burning." His reply earned a few catcalls from the other ceiling dwellers but I was unnerved by the calm yet threatening atmosphere. "But back to our guests." The others quieted immediately. "Everyone else belongs to my…posse as you put it."

"And you are?" Sahara asked in true Emileah like fashion. The man laughed lightly and I glanced back to see Emileah's eyes darken ever so slightly. She was no doubt annoyed he found this amusing.

"I am-"

"And come out of the shadows," Emileah snarled. "I don't like talking to a guy I can't see," she said through clenched teeth. The man obliged her. He was tall with a complexion only slightly lighter than my own. His eyes were a weird solver color. His black hair fell straight but I noticed that it was thicker and longer than that of his wife. It was strange considering everyone else had incredibly short hair.

"I am Alcaeus," he state regally. His clothing I noted, was modern but arranged in such a way on his body that it looked as if he steeped straight out of Medieval story book. "I was born in the 7th century," Man was he old. "B.C." Scratch that…super old. For someone to be that old meant he had to be some type of mythical creature. I sniffed again just to double check that he wasn't a vampire. It was evident by his beating heart and blood. His blood smelt powerful. It doesn't make sense I know, but it was thick and rich and it was almost as if he had too much blood. It would be overpowering if not for that mysterious scent that told me he wasn't completely human."And I am a pureblood werewolf."

…um what?

Pureblood werewolf?

I glanced back at my sisters to see if they were as confused as I was.

"Child of the moon?" Sahara asked earning a loud laugh from Alcaeus as well as a few snickers from the others.

"Moon child?" he asked amused. "You have been educated by vampires." He smirked before throwing a few knowing glances at his comrades. "We have been called many things, werewolves, moon children, lycans, demonic animals… bears. It's all petty really." He finally turned to face us. "If you insist on using the ignorance of the blood drinkers then you will use it correctly while in my presence. I am the only Moon child present. My compadres are all moon slaves. No, they are not my slaves, they are simply slaves to the lunar powers."

"Meaning they can't control themselves on a full moon?" Emileah asked smartly.

"You're a quick one aren't you?" Alcaeus chuckled darkly. "But you are correct in a manner of speaking. All the phases of the moon affects us in different ways but it is only the purebloods that have the ability to control the urges and to maintain some semblance of our humanity if we so wish."

"And why wouldn't you?" Emileah asked. "You seem so full of yourself, why wouldn't you want to remain human?" I watched Sahara put a hand on Emileah's shoulder, probably trying to stop her from blowing their cover. A very vocal and demanding beta was never genuine. At least that's what Clarice told me.

"When the full moon blooms it gives our kind a type of unhindered raw power," he explained rounding out his fist as if such power could materialize in his hands. "To be amongst my own and not participate in the rush as they do is nearly impossible. It is as if I am denying a part of myself."

"So pretty much you're saying you're a follower," Emileah said obviously ignoring Sahara's silent warning. "Monkey see monkey do?" If Alcaeus took any offense to that comment he didn't show it. Being as old as he was he must have come across many inflated egos.

"I assume the born werewolves are purebloods."

"Your assumption is correct." He smiled before beginning to circle me. "Our kind was driven to extinction many years ago when a very resourceful, arrogant group of vampires infiltrated our ranks and discovered our weaknesses. They exploited them and destroyed our thriving society."

"Infiltrated?" Emileah asked. "How can bloodless, lifeless vampires infiltrate a pack of warm blooded wolves?" Alcaeus stopped his circling before staring at her for a long moment. He had a moment of understanding and I realized he had been studying her.

"Vampires and werewolves have always been, how should I say, the dominant creatures of the night. We were the supernatural, the mythical. The planet was balanced between housing humanity's world, the undead, and the…super living."

"The super living?" Sahara asked. "And that would be you werewolves."

"Yes, that's how it's always been. The balance has always been between us but it would seem that your kind has changed that equation." And there it was: the giant pink shape shifting elephant in the room.

"We're shape shifters," Emileah admitted and I almost broke my neck turning around to face her. She was always the one to keep everything about us under lock and key. Whatever happened to be feared because we're mysterious and rule by fear? "Shape shifting wolves as a matter of fact but I'm sure you already know that." Alcaeus grinned again.

"You've come across our kind before?' I asked not understanding all these signals Emileah was picking up and I was missing. His eyes shot back to me almost as if he'd forgotten I was here.

"As a matter of fact I have. We try to remain isolated but one of your kind stumbled across our path. A young Jacob Black." I growled harshly on instinct before I could stop myself drawing more than a few eyes to me. "He is not your ally?"

"Black's his ex-alpha," Emileah explained coyly earning a few knowing laughs and snickers.

"You don't seem fond of him. Strange, I thought he was quite the intrigue. Though I didn't appreciate his closeness to his large pack of vampires."

"Neither do we," Emileah muttered.

"Do you know where he was headed?" I tried overshadowing Emileah's rant.

"He said that he was following a trail but we didn't discuss much else considering our run in wasn't very pleasant."

"Explain," Emileah ordered and I wondered if Alcaeus had caught on to the fact that Sahara was not the alpha female of our pack.

"I did not encounter Jacob Black first. My pack mates came across three of the vampires, Jasper, Emmet, and Garret I believe their names were. They were going to kill them but another one appeared, Edward and he warned them right before the attack. It wasn't until I caught Jacob Black's wolf scent that I called my men back. We settled the dispute and he explained your kind."

"Was there only one wolf with them?" Sahara asked somewhat quietly and I could tell that Emileah was just as anxious about the response as Sare was.

"I did not meet everyone, only those that I mentioned and a Carlisle, Alice and I believe it was Elizabeth-"

"Isabella," Sahara corrected.

"Oh yes, young Edward's mate. Yes they mentioned others were with them but they never crossed our lands." The girls nodded. "You are looking for someone?"

"We're hunting someone down," Emileah explained. "He or she has been kidnapping and murdering some of our kind."

"Yes, your compadres mentioned something about that. What may I ask led you to our lands?"

"Nothing really, it was more of an accident on my part." My admission caused the peanut gallery to chuckle. Glad I'm so entertaining.

"I see. You must excuse us we are not very trusting of outsiders considering our past."

"I understand completely," I said while glancing slowly down at my heavy duty chains. It took only a second for Alcaeus to understand my hints and another to move to me break the chains then move back to his original spot. I almost missed it.

"Woah you're fast," I exclaimed in surprise causing him to chuckle. I got to my feet slowly, trying to work the kinks out of my muscles.

"We were the original enemies to the vampires, we were built faster and stronger than they. It would seem we have been replaced in pint size packages now." The laughter increased as my sisters scowled. Then I realized they were laughing about us. "You are not as strong or fast as us, probably around the pace of the vampires but you are more human and not controlled by the moon. I see evolution has not given up on the supernatural yet." The guy made it sound like we were werewolves version 2.0 or something. Then how did he explain the other shape shifters in the world, the ones that weren't built to fight vampires?

"We much prefer our connection to humanity thank you very much," Emileah spat.

"Do you now?" Alcaeus asked wistfully. "Then explain your scent young one. Why do you carry a feline scent as well as canine?" Both of my sisters tensed. "While your alpha remains purely canine." His remark caused me to think quickly.

"We have lots of cats," I blurted out and I have a feeling my sisters wanted to face-palm.

"Lots of cats?" He asked separating each word as if they were each questions.

"Yes," I drawled. "The scent gets engrained into your skin-" I was cut off when his arms were suddenly clasped around my head.

"Stop lying to me wolf shifter!" He craned my neck to the side painfully. Emileah and Sahara were instantly blocked by five of the werewolves. There was no way I could get out of his hold and I panicked for my sisters who were outnumbered.

"Release him or I'll make mince meat of your pack," Emileah's threat caused Alcaeus to laugh sadistically.

"I'd like to see you try. Your feline side makes you weak, you don't stand a chance against them," his leering I noticed was only causing Emileah to get angrier. She was going to phase strictly out of anger.

"Weaker?" she spat and I knew she was furious.

"Emileah-" Sahara tried to warn her but Em's ignoring her only showed how much Sare was not alpha.

"I'll show you weak-" she had phased without anymore warning. I was confused as to why she'd turned into her panther, then I remembered she was angry.

The cat always comes out when she's especially angry. Too bad it _is_ her weaker shift.

"Ah, so you've brought out the claws?" Alcaeus said laughingly tightening ever so slightly his grip on my face. This is going to leave a horrible crook in my neck. "Guys, handle that." They lunged in human form and I could tell that they were fast and strong. Sahara phased as well but she went into wolf form. I was proud to watch as their teamwork actually forced two of the werewolves out of the fight. I hated that I couldn't' do anything but I could feel my oxygen being restricted and my neck began to spasm with his brute hold. I scratched and panicked but it did nothing to loosen the hold he had on me.

"Let me…go," I was panting, barely able to take the pain.

"Don't worry young Leonard, I will let you live if you tell me the truth." One of my sisters growled.

"The truth's right in front of you," I gasped. "They're born from a wolf and a panther." I dropped to my knees when he let me go.

"A wolf and a panther?" He sounded dazed. "Astonishing to be able to mix breed as such." He waved his hands and his pack members instantly stopped fighting. They quickly scurried and ran up the tall walls of the cave back to the ledges above us. The girls hesitated before phasing back to human. "Inter breeding amongst shifters. Tell me, is your father a wolf?" Em and Sare glanced at each other.

"My father is," Sahara said. "As is her mother."

"Ah, so you have different parents. Fascinating." He paused as if he were looking at them in a different light. "And what is your dominant shift."

"Wolf," Emileah answered quickly but the animalistic sounds weren't completely cleared from her voice.

"Panther," Sahara answered quietly.

"Yet you shifted to the recessive shift just now. Why?" I opened my mouth to answer but Emileah beat me to the punch.

"You'll have to understand that we don't trust you with all our secrets Alcaeus." He simply nodded.

"Of course, I just let my curiosity run away with me. Compadres," he snapped at his pack and almost instantly they were back on the ground. I tensed expecting another attack. "Prepare dinner, we will share a meal with our new acquaintances." They disappeared. I glanced up and saw that Cassandra had not moved from her spot, she was simply watching us. Me in particular.

"We don't want to intrude-" Sahara began.

"Nonsense!" Alcaeus boomed. "I'm sure you are all starved." And starved we were. The werewolves produced a buffet fit to feed a hundred even though there were only about ten of us in total. I tried to enjoy my food but I couldn't help but notice Cassandra's unwavering gaze on me throughout dinner. Nor did it escape my noticed that they refused to let my sisters and I sit next to one another at the elegant dining room table. It felt weird sitting at such a fancy table in the middle of a cave. I wondered if the girls felt weird being clad only in their phasing pants and bras still.

"How did you enjoy your food?" Cassandra asked.

"It was wonderful," Sahara answered brightly. I could only hope it wasn't poisoned but then again, we all ate from the same servings of food. Cassandra smiled fully at Sare's enthusiasm.

"Miss Emileah would you be so kind as to take a walk with me?" Alcaeus asked and I held my breath waiting for her response. I was only nervous because this guy had already hinted at the fact that he was stronger than us and I wasn't sure about him taking Emileah alone.

Crap! This was probably some type of divide and conquer method.

"Uh-"

"Whatever," Emileah said nonchalantly ignoring my almost protest. "But you better not try and get fresh with me or I'll tell your woman." Alcaeus smirked.

"Of course." The next moment he was at her side, hand extended for her to take. She did so with an eye roll. Well no one can say he wasn't chivalrous. I followed them with my eyes until they disappeared into the darkness outside the cave.

"You play spades?" One of the members asked with a heavy Mexican accent. He was looking at Sahara.

"Yes."

"You any good?" Another asked her.

"My boyfriend says I am," she said happily. I didn't tell them that wasn't a very accountable source considering Brady would probably tell her she's good at everything.

"Play?" The first one asked and then Sahara was wandering off with most of the pack members trailing her. They set up a game on the floor of the cave. It was then that I noticed only myself and Cassandra were left at the table. I looked up.

She was still staring at me.

I looked away but caught her smirk in my peripheral.

"Are you intimidated by me young Leo?" I glanced back at her at the use of nickname. "I'm sorry, do you mind if I call you that? I heard your pack mate, Sahara say it." No it's not okay to call me that! Only my friends and family call me that! People that I trust…well mostly trust.

"It's fine," was all I said though…like a little pansy.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" She asked and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Is this some sort of trick?" I asked and my outburst drew a few concerned glances. "Separate us so you can attack, because if it is I won't hesitate to attack you."

"Bold words for one so young," she said waving her hand to calm a few of the others. "But no, this is nothing of the sort. We just want to get to know you better, perhaps even form an alliance. You are a very intriguing group." I mulled over her words. She sound sincere enough but being as old as they were they probably had perfected sounding sincere even when they weren't.

"Fine let's go," I grumbled out not being able to shake the feeling that Em was on date with the Devil, Sare was playing with his demons, and I was about to go on a stroll with his Mistress.

I think I have the worst deal here.

* * *

**A/N: **Heh…yeah so I'm trying to finish this story guys. Classes start in a week and between my 1 or 2 jobs and running a choir I'm going to be swamped (you may not hear from me again until Christmas lol) so I'm trying to do chapter dumps this week. And as always sorry about my absentee review replying but I sincerely appreciate everyone who is still reading this story.

Hey is the new thing to have a twitter account for your stories? I feel so left out.


	67. Leonard's Reprise:18

The night was cool, nowhere near as cool as it gets in Washington but it was nice compared to the blistering heat of the day. I couldn't hear Em or Alcaeus near us so I figured they went a different direction.

"You need not worry about your sister," Cassandra said and I really worried that she was a mind reader.

"I'm not, she can handle herself." But I was worried. Worried that Alcaeus had taken a liking to her feisty ways and knowing Em, she was a little Jezebel herself, who knows what she would do. It didn't help that Cassandra here was making me feel like Cougar bait. And believe me I know what being Cougar bait feels like…

"You are not very trusting," she said plainly.

"Neither are you," I shot back. "Your pack I mean."

"With good reason."

"Same here," I said and instantly felt like I'd said too much. Her eyes were so unwavering that it felt like she was reading me like a book.

"You have a story, an interesting one I believe and forgive me if I'm prying but I certainly would like to hear it." At least she was straightforward. But she was a stranger and I'm not sure I want to give her anything.

"I don't think that's wise," I began.

"Perhaps, but you are very young are you not. It's not your job to be wise, at least not yet," she replied and it felt like I was being pseudo peer pressured. "You probably have centuries ahead of you Leonard, you need not be so adult yet."

"I have to, it's my job. I'm a protector. A good protector can't be foolish," I answered. She didn't fight me on that.

"What if I told you about myself? Would that help?" She really wasn't going to drop this was she? I was tempted to tell her I wasn't interested in anything about her but truthfully I was kind of curious. She was a member of the werewolves we feared as kids. Not the kind I spent my whole life wanting to be.

"Don't you think the whole secret for a secret thing is kind of childish?" I asked. She laughed but began speaking anyway.

"Alcaeus is not my husband," she began and I looked at her confused. "I get that look a lot. I'm still married to my first husband. It would seem impossible for us to get a divorce now." I figured she meant the man was human and had died or maybe it was one of the other werewolves but that didn't make sense either. "When I was human, I got married at the age of twenty. My husband was twenty five. After we were wed in our church he proposed spending a few days out camping away from the village before we had to return and work on starting our family. It was our honeymoon I guess you could say.

It was a beautiful night, a full moon and cloudless sky. He had set up camp with some of his friends a few days before. They scoped the area found it was clear and safe enough for a woman to join him. It was supposed to be relaxing. What we weren't counting on was for a blood thirsty killer to wander through our camp."

"Blood thirsty?" I asked interrupting."Werewolves are blood thirsty?" I was jumping to conclusions apparently since she started shaking her head.

"Werewolves are flesh hungry only vampires are blood thirsty," she corrected. "A vampire came through and attacked us. The only reason I survived is because Demetri had such heightened senses that he could tell someone had been stalking us. He fought with the monster but the last thing I saw was the monster lunging for me and Demetri jumping in front of me. He had latched onto his neck and I never saw him again.

When I woke Alcaeus was standing over me. He said I kept calling for my husband but I was still dazed. He bit me and I hardly put up a struggle. I figured I was going to die and join my husband. But instead I endured a few anger filled days. I can't really remember my transformation. He says the vampires take three days of burning to change. I had three days of hunger and anger and need for flesh. He stayed with me, to make sure I didn't get too out of hand but it felt like all I saw was red. When I calmed down, the full moon was over and I felt like a slightly stronger version of myself. "

"Do you think he's still alive?" I asked but that was only because ever since she said her husband's name I couldn't help but think I'd heard it before.

"The blood drinker probably drained him."

"That would make you a widow, you could marry Alcaeus." She didn't reply. She kept staring off into space. "Unless you're still holding out hope that he is alive." That caught her attention.

"No!" She roared, her teeth flashing dangerously and I stepped back. "I mean, he can't be. I'd rather he'd be dead than…" she trailed off and I finally understood. She wouldn't want to think her husband was somewhere scouring the Earth as a vampire and her immortal enemy.

"Do you still love him?" She didn't reply again and that's what made the silence that much more significant.

"I love Alcaeus," she finally said. "But I adored Demetri; that much I can remember. Alcaeus tries to make me forget but he knows it's nearly impossible. When we change, we're so animalistic that our human minds can hardly remember the havoc and the pain. It's what makes our human memories so sharp and permanent. Because it's the only thing I have that reminds me I'm not some vicious animal out for flesh and blood."

"But-" I stopped, not sure if I should continue with my thought, if I even wanted to. It was one of those thoughts that you think but don't want anyone else to know you were thinking, the ones you are kind of ashamed of.

"Tell me," she whispered urging me to continue. I hesitated a moment longer before answering.

"If you weren't human you wouldn't think of yourself as a vicious animal. You would simply be what you were designed to be." I regretted the words as soon as they left not that I wasn't already regretting them when they formed in my mind.

"Strange thoughts to come from a human shifter," she said but her tone gave no hint of judgment more of just observation.

"Yeah well, I've been feeling more in touch with my animal side recently."

"It is a struggle at first," she explained after a moment. "To come to terms with both sides. With us, there is a constant battle between our two sides. Like two different people battling even though one isn't a person at all. But with you shifters, I would imagine it is more natural. What takes us centuries to come to terms with you can do in less than a lifetime. You can be human or beast at will. And you can carry both of your halves at all times. You are both human and beast and yet you are neither."

"You make it sound so poetic." I laughed nervously because her words somehow made me feel stripped and vulnerable.

"It is the truth. You are the beginnings of the perfect fusion of man and animal. You should be proud."

"Right, I'll just get a flag and start a shifter pride parade."

"And a lovely sense of humor to boot." She stood suddenly and grabbed my hand. "We should head back. Alcaeus will not want to beat us back. Even after two and a half centuries he is still the jealous type."

The walk back to the cave remained silent. When we arrived I saw Sahara stashing a wad of money in her phasing bra to the dismay of some of the werewolves. Guess she was a good card player. She spotted me with a big smile on her face which was a rarity these days.

"Leo, you're back! Em's not back yet but these guys are so much fun we'll have to come back sometime and play again." I looked over her shoulder and saw some of the guys shaking their heads in the negative at the last part of that statement. Must be a bunch of sore losers. "Did you have fun?" I opened my mouth to reply but the serious look she gave me didn't match her bubbly tone. She was asking me something in code that she didn't want anyone else to catch onto.

Only problem was that I wasn't catching on either.

"Uh…" I hesitated which drew a couple eyes. "Yeah, it was…nice." Geez I could hardly get a word out. I didn't want to tip anything off to the werewolves but I was ruining Sahara's covert questioning. "How about you? You have any fun?"

"Yeah loads," she said in that falsely bubbly tone. "These guys all have a better poker face than you." And I could catch the annoyance with me in that tone. Hey, what does she want from me? I'm not Emileah, I don't know what she wants me to say.

"I thought you were playing spades?" She turned away from me to go join the werewolves again without answering my question.

"Are you still hungry Leonard?" Cassandra was by my side again and I jumped not hearing her approach. She was carrying a glass of unidentifiable liquid.

"No, I'm good." She continued smiling and that was when I noticed the extra glass of liquid in her hand. She held it out to me when I spotted it.

"Thirsty?" She asked but her eyes darkened ever so slightly. It was weird. Her eyes like the rest of the werewolves minus Alcaeus was a dark grey color. I thought she was trying to hide something behind that smile.

"No I'm-"

"I insist. You must be parched after that walk." I started to reach out for it just to quiet her but I caught Sare shaking her head without looking at me.

"What'd we miss?" I was saved by Emileah entering. Cassandra immediately left my side to greet Alcaeus. She handed the glass meant for me to him. Which he took after throwing a glance at me. There's a silent conversation going on and I have no idea what it is. Emileah came to me bypassing Sahara who simply followed behind her. "Well?"

"Nothing much, I went on a walk and Sare hustled the werewolves out of some money." There were a few growls from behind me at the statement. "You?"

"Alcaeus filled me in on some things," Emileah said while glancing behind her towards the werewolf leaders. "Turns out he knows a little about where Jake and the vampires were headed. Also filled me in on a little information relevant to our search." By this time the werewolves had gathered together watching our exchange.

"You mean…" Sahara glanced around suspiciously before lowering her voice. "Our _search_?"

"Yeah."

"Perhaps I should explain," Alcaeus said his voice carrying louder than any of ours. "Your vampire friends were preceded by another group. They were very mysterious but seemed to know more about us than I cared for them to know. At the time, my brother Amon was amongst us. They had their eyes on a few of my pack who are especially talented, myself included but I refused to join them for obvious reasons. My brother in the end was the only one they managed to recruit."

"And how long ago was this?" I asked.

"About a year and a half ago." Alcaeus said and it was the first time I heard so much emotion coat his voice. "It has been a tough time without my brother at my side after having him there for so long. But I learned to let him choose his own path. It is his choice, not mine."

"Why did they want him?" Alcaeus hesitated.

"I do not know exactly. But I didn't trust them. They were too…aloof for my tastes. Like salesmen trying to make a sale off of you without telling you what the product was." A single laugh fell from my mouth at the analogy. "He followed them and my pack and I have not heard from him since." That sounded too ominous. Who leaves their pack to join a bunch of strangers? That's just weird and dangerous.

…okay maybe not that weird. I may have left my pack once or twice but that was different. I had my reasons-

"Was he unhappy?" I asked before I could stop myself. I could tell my sisters were giving me looks like I'd said too much but when did I not get that look? The werewolves didn't seem too thrilled about my accusation. Alcaeus quieted some of the growls.

"Amon was the thrill seeker. He was very proactive and got bored easily. I admit I was surprised I was able to keep him in the same place this long but he knew it was for his own safety and the safety of our kind. He was content with us." The way he said content made me think maybe he was exaggerating. This Amon character didn't sound too happy being stuck in a cave with his brother's pack and stolen wife.

"Must've been the third wheel," I whispered to Emileah low enough that I thought only she would hear it.

"What was that young Leonard?" Alcaeus asked haughty. "You still assume my brother was so unhappy that he left us?"

Uh oh I hit a nerve.

"I uh er-"

"That he would risk exposing us to nomadic strangers all on account of something so _childish_ as loneliness? My brother has lived as long as I and you think that after thousands of years you could actually teach us something. You having only…how many years do you have 20, 30 maybe?" My lips tightened already feeling the embarrassment when I admitted my age.

"17."

"Sevente-" he dissolved into dark chuckles but I could tell he wasn't really amused. "You haven't even seen two decades of this earth yet you stand there pretending to be some alpha telling me the character of my brother. You amuse me Leonard Uley and yet you frighten me at the same time."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Emileah cut in asking. I could tell she was getting angry on my behalf. I wanted to get angry as well but how do you snap back at someone so old. It's like trying to tell off your great great great great great great great great grandpare-

"I fear that the future of the world rests on the shoulders of children who are run by their emotions and feelings. Do not deny it Emileah I know you feel as if you are strong and independent but you are run by your feelings as well, just as much as young Leonard. You are not as wise as you think you are." Strangely that shut Emileah up. The girl had never been shot down before, at least not by someone who she could disregard because of their personal vendetta against her.

"What makes you think you know so much about us?" Sahara asked finally joining in on the argument.

"Years and years of watching and studying people. You may think you are special but when you strip away your supernatural abilities you're still human. And humans have a tendency to be very much the same. By the time we had the second course of our meal I had the three of you down to a science." The silence that followed was deafening. I couldn't take my eyes off of him but I wanted so badly to just rip that arrogant smirk off his face.

"And what makes you think you're so much better than humans?" Sahara surprisingly retorted. "Sure you may be faster, stronger, and live longer than humans but from where I'm standing you have it worse off. Humans live for maybe a century with the ability to carry out their dreams and desires and can change the world they live in. You on the other hand are stuck here living in this cave complaining about the state of the world you can't change out of secrecy and being a slave only to the moon. Pathetic." Alcaeus showed no reaction to Sahara's statement. In fact he simply ignored her and turned to face me.

"Seems your pack needs a stronger alpha male to keep them in line." My sisters growled and hissed at his comment. I on the other hand couldn't stop my shoulders from drooping slightly. Were my inadequacies that obvious? "I could help you with that." I perked up at that statement. I don't know why but the idea of someone actually instructing me on being an alpha was like a glass of water to my thirst so I couldn't stop my curiosity.

"And how is that?" I asked and I knew without looking that Emileah was giving me the 'You can't be serious' look.

"We werewolves are stronger, faster, more capable than you shifters. Yes we may not have much control immediately but you already have learned control with your wolf form. I could turn you."

"Really?" I asked trying to keep my face impassive so that Em couldn't catch onto my serious interest and would think I was just humoring the ancient.

"You would be enhanced. A werewolf shifter would be a force with which to be reckoned." The gears in my head started turning really fast. I would be an enhanced wolf. I would be able to protect easier. I would be more accepted. I would find my new place in this messed up world. Em cleared her throat when I took a few steps closer to Alcaeus. "You could protect your pack and your fellow shifters from their enemies. You would be adored-"

"I think that's about enough out of you," Emileah warned. "Leo, you have no idea what would happen if he bit you. You could die!" That stopped my forward movement. "Think about it Leo, they have too many parallels with the bloodsuckers! Just think for a moment before your impulsiveness kicks in. They're flesh eaters, uncontrollable, three day turning! They're venomous just like the vampires! They're venom could kill us just as easily as a vampire's can." She was pleading with me but I was finding myself torn between the persuasion in Alcaeus' voice and eyes and my sister's panicky tone. "Leo!"

"But what if he's right?" I asked without breaking my gaze with Alcaeus. "If I turn, I would be strong enough to stop the thing that's doing this to those kids. I could find your father!" For a moment I heard her hesitate.

"…No!" She said shaking her head. "This isn't about that. This is about you okay. We don't know what werewolves are to us. We are not Children of the Moon. We are descendants of Spirit Warriors! We are shape shifters! We are closer biologically to those people that shift into elephants than we are to these werewolves."

"Leo listen to her!" Sahara screamed when I started moving again. Strangely I wasn't really aware of my movements. I felt drawn to the pack- to what he was saying. It was what I needed despite what my sisters thought. "If he bites you, it could kill you or just turn into one of them! We're humans that happen to shift into wolves. Into panthers! "

"We're not venomous. We were born like this. We can't turn others because this is our DNA. This is us and there's no escaping it! They're not natural. We are!" I could hear everything they were saying. Why wasn't I responding? All I could think about was getting stronger and faster. I wanted the power to be able to help everyone. I wanted to feel like I belonged by doing something good.

"If you turn, you'll be like them. You'll kill people when you lose control!"

"And we won't hesitate to destroy you if you do." And it was that one statement that made me stop moving. The idea that my sisters would turn on me, would kill me if I became an uncontrollable monster ripped me to my core. "You make your choice."

"Truthfully, Leonard, they don't know what could happen either," Alcaeus said smartly. I had stopped moving but I still hadn't turned to face my sisters. I couldn't make up my mind. Part of me was screaming Do it! And the other was going: This is going to be an even worse idea than that time I tried to make a homemade bomb.

I was broken out of my reverie when Emileah cried out in pain. I turned and saw that she was holding her head with Sahara beside her. She was in pain. How long had she been like this?

"Em what's-" She glared at me but the pain was evidently intense because it was a weak attempt.

"Your little infant girlfriend is in distress," she said quickly and by the murmuring going on behind me I could tell the werewolves were confused. Granted so was I but that was beside the point. My infant girlfriend… I guess she's talking about Jada Taylor but how would she know…

…oh no.

She dimprinted.

She flippin dimprinted on Jada Taylor. Of all the people in the world to cry out to, the child of Renesmee the Brat Cullen Black cries out to her surrogate mother's biological daughter.

I guess the Cullens weren't satisfied with just one pet puppy. They won't stop until they've leashed all of us Quileutes.

"You should do what is right for your people Leonard," Cassandra said from beside Alcaeus. I turned to look at the entire werewolf pack. And in that moment I heard a whoosh and felt a breeze. I turned back and both my sisters were gone.

Great, they leave when I finally make the decision. Right now what's right is making sure my sister is okay.

"I can't. I'm sorry." I turned to leave but not before receiving a head nod from the werewolf couple. I wondered if they had just been testing me to see if I would make the right decision.

At least I hope this is the right decision.

* * *

Chasing after my sisters proved to be harder than I expected. They only had a few seconds head start on me but apparently they were sprinting with all their might because I couldn't catch up. At least my head was clearing up. I'm convinced that Alcaeus has some sort of hypnotizing power to make me strongly consider risking my life to let him bite me. I should have known as soon as my mind started feeling foggy.

I can't believe how stupid I was being. Who knows how long Emileah had been struggling with keeping Jada Taylor demands at bay. Baby or no, that girl's got Persistent Black blood with Selfish Swan blood and a little Uppity Cullen thrown in there too. I know she's demanding. And Emileah is not one to normally give into another's demands. She's probably been trying to ignore that dimprint so much that now she can't help but pay attention to it.

I wracked my brain trying to figure out how godmom and Aunt Tamyra went about their dimprint but I couldn't quite remember what they had told me about it. One of them could hear the other's mind and could control their actions or something.

Agh! I can't remember!

Ok Leo just calm down. Em's strong, she'll be alright. This might even be a good thing. The dimprint will lead us to Jada Taylor and where all the other kids are. Positive thinking.

I just wish they would slow down a little so I could catch up. Not all of us are panthers! But I had to kick it into high gear because I couldn't let my sisters face off with the kidnapper by themselves.

And that's when I realized I'd lost both of my sisters' scents.

"Emileah!" I yelled which may not have been smart considering I didn't know where I was anymore. "Sahara!" No answer and then I realized I couldn't smell _anything_ in my vicinity.

This is just not my day.

I heard a growl behind me and knew immediately that it wasn't either of my sisters.

Really not my day.

I'm officially the dumbest person in the world. The guy's following me. Do I run or do I not run? He'll probably catch me if I try to move but if I stay here he'll probably just kill me.

Another vicious growl and I wouldn't be surprised to find him foaming at the mouth with a snarl on his face. I rolled my weight onto the balls of my feet ready to spring if he got closer.

Then I felt him right at my back. I hadn't even felt him move. His fur bristled against me and I knew right off he was probably twice my wolf size. I turned slowly to look up into his face. I was in my puny human form and he was some gigantic wolf-like bear thing that was standing bipedal.

And boy was he ugly.

And he has lots of teeth.

I should phase right now. Phase and fight to the death. Then I noticed the eyes. They were silver.

"Alcaeus?" I questioned but apparently I had the wrong werewolf in question because he grew angrier. "Wait I'm not-" he grabbed me by the neck and before I could rasp out 'Uncle' everything went out of focus.

* * *

**A/N: **That Leo…always getting captured. Second update for the I still have a poll up on my page even though I can't give a time line on when updates would start (prob not until December). If I get a resounding no then I'll prob take a break from writing in this fandom and read some of your lovely stories.


	68. Leonard's Reprise:19

I was cold. I realized that I had been lying on a cold hard floor. But I shouldn't be cold. I had to be in a freezer for my intense body temperature to be affected so.

"Leonard." My eyes popped open at the weak sound of my name. I shot up to an upright position and instantly became dizzy. A throbbing in my head made itself prominent and my throat was sore. When my wooziness cleared I searched out the owner of the voice as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

And when I found the owner, I nearly cried out.

He was seated, hunched over in the cell next to mine. His body was lean, too lean, where muscles used to be, was taut skin. He screamed weakness as his form yelled starvation. It looked as if it took every ounce of strength for him to just inhale and exhale. His hair was messy, uncombed tight curls atop his head. His eyes had bags under them and if it wasn't for the erratic beating of his heart, I'd think him a vampire. When he mustered the strength to turn and face me I couldn't look away.

"What did they do to you?" He let out a stuttered breath before inhaling again. "Tre what happened?" I was suddenly breathless. This was too much. To see the only man I'd recognized as a father in such a weak and helpless state. To think the last time I'd seen him in good health I was silently denouncing him, hating him for past crimes.

"Caius," he stopped to clear his throat. It sounded raw, hoarse, a cross between lack of use and over use from screaming or yelling. "Caius, has these theories…"He was speaking in this far off tone. It unnerved me. "He thinks that shape shifters are the new threat to the world. That we're upsetting the balance between the _inhuman_ world." A cold smirk crossed his lips before he chose to face forward again.

"What balance?" I asked, more like blurted. Alcaeus had mentioned this 'balance' now Caius. Tre took a few more breaths before steadying himself. He turned to me and flashed a weak smile.

"You're seventeen now, aren't you?" I nodded and his smile grew only marginally. "How'd you spend it?" I couldn't exactly say sleeping with your ex-girlfriend now could I?

"It was okay. Wasn't the best one I had." I answered non-committal. Tre nodded.

"You're a man," I did one strong nod to indicate he was correct but didn't understand where this was going. "I can tell you things without sugarcoating it or worrying that your mother will ring my neck." Now I understand.

"Don't leave out details or fluff things. I need to know what happened to you." He re-adjusted himself on the floor in his cell, though the movement looked strained he barely made any progress. He was so weak, it was probably killing his pride that I had to see him like this.

"I was following the trail of all the missing shifter kids and the checkpoint murders. It wasn't much of a trail. It all seemed really random but it was obvious it wasn't. The locations made no sense. The choices of captures made no sense. Why would some new shifters get kidnapped but others weren't? And why were some caught at the checkpoints which always resulted in the escorts being killed and others were kidnapped in the 3 Mile walk where the kid would simply vanish while not being escorted to the respective Haven? I kept asking myself these questions but I could never find an answer. I hit a dead end in South America-Chile actually." He paused to catch his breath. "That's when Amon ambushed me." My eyes snapped up to him.

"Amon, the werewolf Amon? As in Alcaeus' brother Amon?" I asked frantically. Tre seemed confused when I mentioned Alcaeus.

"I suppose so, yes, he is a werewolf. I-" he stopped again as if he were reliving the moment. "I never realized how strong the werewolves were. I mean of course, I'd never met one before but he was vicious. They match the strength of the vampires but he was so wild that I couldn't take him. I know with my added strength I'm as strong as you wolves but Caius joined us and I was outnumbered." Realization dawned on me then. Panthers weren't built to fight vampires or werewolves. The only reason-well the reason we assume as to why Tre is so much stronger than the average shape shifting panther is so that he'll be a suitable partner for god mom, a worthy protector of his family and pack. There was no way though that he'd be able to stand up to a werewolf and vampire that easily surpassed him in experience.

"You surrendered." I whispered.

"No!" Tre barked and I flinched as the harsh sound echoed down the dark corridor of prison cells. "I fought them hard, even though I knew it was a lost cause." He continued in a calmer tone. "I was surprised when Caius took a syringe to me and all I remember was pain after that…" He went on to tell me all the details of his capture. How the drug wasn't a sedative as much as it simply paralyzed me. He was in pain for days and it only intensified. To make matters worse they were in transit for two of the three days. Then he ended up in a dingy lab where they proceeded to poke and prod at him with some, for lack of a better word, fancy yet dangerous equipment. Then after the three days he went completely numb.

"Caius made a serum-_venom_- more like." He rubbed the back of his neck. "It changes people into monsters. It gives you unmatchable strength but it messes with the chemical balances in your brain. Well it can at least." He added as an afterthought. "It gives different results for different people." Then I looked around and noticed there actually were people in the other cells. The corridor like room was long and these cells seemed to go on forever into the dark recesses. The small form in the cell next to me was either asleep or dead curled up into a ball.

"Are these the test subjects?" I asked still looking around horrified.

"We all are," Tre answered and I turned to look at him again.

"They injected you with it," I concluded looking him over once more. "What does it do to you?" I panicked realizing that as much as I may have disliked the man for what he's done I would never wish something like this on him. I knew instantly he didn't want to tell me.

"I'm already a shifter, so it's making me…I'm losing some control," he sighed then shook his head as if to clear it. "He's trying to make an army."

"What kind of army?"

"If he combines the venom of vampires, werewolves, and the blood of shifters in a very specific dosage and percentage, he can change a person into the most vile uncontrolled demon possible," he paused to think. "Or it'll just kill them," he added after a moment.

"And you?" I pushed needing to know as many details as possible yet fearing we were too late to save him.

"It takes about a year for it to really kick in, I've still got a few months. But _she_ may only have a few weeks," he nodded across to a cage opposite us. It was in fact a girl that much I could tell. Her clothes were tattered and unnoticeable under the grime and dirt coating her. I could hardly tell what her skin tone was but when her eyes opened I gasped. They were dazed and confused but I knew those eyes.

"Tracey!" I whisper yelled. I was in disbelief, how did she get caught up in this? She was just a human. "Tracey!" This time I got a slight reaction. Her eyes widened but she didn't really focus on me. Her movements were like those of a caged animal. She was frightened and jumpy and probably only a fraction of her brain even remotely registered that I was calling her.

"You know her?" Tre asked sounding disturbed.

"She's from the Rez. She was a friend from school," I answered trying to reach my hand through the narrow cage bars to reach out to her. I barely heard Tre swear under his breath at my announcement. "She was in the Rez Rogues with me. Last time I saw her, she was running away to live in Makah."

"Why?" He asked genuinely curious. I rolled my eyes remembering the day.

"Because _your _daughter made it really hard for her to continue going to school after she started that rumor about her and Hunter." Tre remained silent for a moment before realizing.

"Emileah always has had a mouth on her," Tre muttered more to himself. "She's been here since before I was. They may have gotten to her then. She would have been unprotected." I could feel the guilt building up in me. She got captured probably before I was even a wolf. I couldn't even help her.

"But why her?" I snapped really wishing I had convinced her to stay in LaPush. "She's human, she hasn't done anything." How I wish I could've stopped her now, talked her out of it. Even just been more of a friend, or told someone she was leaving. She was a teen girl already on hard times and now she's…here. She didn't deserve this.

"Most of the people here are human. They're experiments. Mostly people getting too close to the supernatural for Caius' liking. The rest are shifters. I think he's treating your friend as a trophy prize."

"A what?"

"He wants to see what'll happen to Quileutes. He got his non shifter and now he has you." I paled. I was the newest experiment and had no idea how long I had been in this cage. Who knows what they've already done to me besides nearly choking me to death. "I'm not going to let them hurt you."

"But you're-"

"The vampire venom will kill you. He has a new synthesis. I'm sure he can't wait to use it on you but I'm not going to let him. Vampire venom isn't lethal to me-"

"Tre you can't know that for sure. What if it messes up with-"

"-You'll die. I'm not risking it. He's not out to kill people yet-at least not intentionally- he'll listen to me because he'll want a successful experiment. "

"You could die too," I argued. I knew the father in him was making him act so _irrational_ right now but I could only hope the father in him would stop him all the same. "And you can't leave Leah alone when you have a son!" His body visibly tensed. He turned to me with these sad pleading eyes.

"My…my son?" He asked in a small voice. "I have a son but how-" he paused evidently everything clicking into place. I ignored the sting of jealousy and continued explaining.

"Tre the third apparently. I haven't seen him." We sat in silence for a few moments. He was probably trying to internalize the fact he'd left godmom pregnant yet again.

"It doesn't matter," he finally said. "The pack will have to raise him. He'll have plenty of father figures, he won't need me. You're too young and I won't let them-"

"You just said I was a man!" I argued back. "Now I'm too young! You've got it wrong. _I _was raised by the pack or did you forget? It's not all rainbows and roses. No mother, no father. You, Leah, and the pack was all had. I appreciated you guys I really did but you have no idea how much turmoil I went through not knowing my real parents! So do not sit there and be self sacrificing and tell me something that I lived through." I fought back the phase. I was angry at myself, at Tre, at Sam, at Emily, at godmom, my sisters. I was angry with everyone in that moment. Even as the heat and tremors started I could only dwell on everything bad that had happened in my life. Somehow the tremors didn't seem as violent as usual.

"I know that it has been especially hard for you," he started calmly. "I know what it's like feeling that your father abandoned you believe me I do. But I look at you as my own son, I always have even maybe before I should have. And I can't believe you when you think it's so bad because if little Tre grew up to be just like you I'd be proud of him without a doubt." The mild tremors ceased instantly. "You were a good boy and I know you're going to be a good man, Leonard."

I clenched my fists trying with all my might to stop the tears welling in my eyes. A single streak ran down my cheek. I never knew how bad it would feel to know in my gut I wanted to hate this man and he goes off and tells me something like that.

He'd told it to me before. It had been the last birthday I went to visit my parents' graves. I had sworn that day never to return. Why should I waste my breath, my tears on people who were dead, who besides my genetic makeup took no part in making who I am? Usually on those days, god mom would let me go alone. But that day Tre had followed me, he felt something was wrong. He had found me kicking my father's headstone as I finished up my short letter. It was immature but I was so angry, I didn't know how to vent it. He turned me around and said those words to me.

I wanted Tre to be my father.

I wanted Seth to be my father.

I wanted Ja-I wanted anyone but Sam. Then I wanted anyone but Tre. I didn't want to be a constant reminder to god mom of some heartache in her life. Some childish part of me thought it was making her love me less.

Now I feel like I hate myself. How could I ever think so ill of the man that raised me? The one who showed me how to tie my shoes. Who told me how to treat girls. Who re taught me how to treat girls after Brady and Collin corrupted me. Who showed me how to shave even though I still had baby smooth skin at 15. I can't hate him.

I felt a breeze and someone was standing outside of my cell. I tensed when the cloaked figure reached to unlock my cell door.

"You can't take him," Tre said quickly. "If you inject him, he'll die." Crap, he was going to give himself up anyway.

"Dad, stop!" I tried to order him to no avail. He froze momentarily at my usage of dad. If my ears aren't deceiving me I even think his heart skipped a beat but my hearing had to be off.

"It'll be a waste. Take me to Caius and I'll explain," he continued on to the figure who remained silent this whole time. He slowly turned to Tre's cell. Before I could really protest the door was flung open and Tre was being dragged away by the silent captor.

"No! Wait!" The door to the prison slammed shut startling some of the others in the cells. I took a peek at Tracey who was still hunched in on herself. She looked a mess. I tried calling her a few times but it only seemed to make her more nervous. I tried to get a look at some of the other prisoners. They all looked really small and feeble.

"Mister Tre's not coming back!" One of the prisoners wailed and that was when I realized why they all looked so small. They were all kids. They had to be the shifter kids. The little boy who yelled hysterically was pressing his face to the bars of his cell. I reached a hand out through mine to get his attention.

"Hey it's okay bud," I tried to appease. He didn't sound much older than the quads. "He's gonna come back."

"No! No he won't! Caius said after he made one more capture he was going to kill one of us." My heart dropped. "You were his last prisoner. He's gonna kill Mr. Tre!" Then the boy started crying which caused some of the other more alert kids to cry as well. That couldn't be right. Why would he take Tre instead of me if Caius was going to kill one of us anyway? Tracey scooted to the darkest corner of her cell. There was too much noise and I didn't know how to calm anyone down. I vainly tried reaching out through the front of my cell. Then I heard a click.

Oh thank you Lord my cell door is still unlocked.

It seemed like everyone paused to watch as I slowly pushed my cell door open. And before the cacophony of cheers could erupt I quieted everyone.

"I'm going to try and get us out of here but we need to be silent. If you have a small shift phase into that." I slammed down on the first lock and CRAP nearly broke my hand.

"We can't phase and neither can you. They inject us with a supp-super-"

"Suppressant?" I asked, the stinging in my hand still present.

"Yeah. It wears off after a while so they give it to us everyday. They injected you when you were still out cold." I nodded at the information. Well super strength is out now what?

"Does anyone have a paper clip or something? Look around your cells," I ordered and some of the more alert kids frantically did just that.

"Here," one little girl, her hair wasn't as unkempt as some of the others but I guessed she had been imprisoned for a few weeks at least. She handed me a bobby pin. I bent it and for once found myself thanking Collin and Brady for all their shenanigans including teaching me how to pick a lock. After a few tense moments I heard the click, and the girl bounded out of her cell. She smiled up at me and I returned it only to get to work on a few other cells around me.

Once I'd freed a good number of the mobile kids I stopped figuring I should find a way out before I lost control of the bunch. Prisoners or not, a large group of kids together is still a rowdy group of kids. I looked up noticing a vent. With a few strong tugs I was able to pull the grating away. Dust poured out of the vent and I coughed wondering how everyone had survived with such poor ventilation.

"I'll go up to find a way out," I informed the group. A few nodded as I put a finger to my lips. Couldn't have them getting hysterical on me as I momentarily left. I managed to pull myself up into the vent, despite not having my full wolf strength at the moment. Those pull ups I used to do came in handy. I crawled quietly down the ventilation system, it was dark but I found a way out when I noticed slivers of light and a slight breeze. Around the next corner was freedom.

I backtracked to return to the group. The kids' heads were still peering up in the whole in the ceiling where I re-emerged. I gave simple directions on how to get out. I grabbed the boy from before and pushed him through first. The kids started their own method of helping each other get up into vent which allowed me time to go open some more cells.

Even though I was keeping the semblance of calm for the kids I could barely control my shaking hands as I opened the 12th cage. Truth was, I was scared and really did just feel like another one of the kids. I couldn't help but keep glancing over my shoulder, just waiting for that guard who took Tre to return or Caius himself. It would be all over then. I'd only be able to hope that the kids already through the vents could put as much distance between them and these vampire freaks as possible. As I went further down the corridor it got darker and an unbearable stench that I hadn't noticed before was getting stronger. It took me a few cells to realize that some of the prisoners were dead.

I wanted to hurl but I had to keep it together. As much as I wanted to give in to weakness and cry and scream about the fact that I was the oldest here, they were depending on me, and I had little more than my human strength to depend on…I knew I couldn't give up. If Tre was ready to throw his life away for me, the least I could do is give these kids a fighting chance.

I unlatched another lock. The prisoner moaned which let me know he was still alive even though most of his neighbors were already decomposing. I stepped in cautiously. I lifted him. He was little more than dead weight. He was taller than the others and completely human. His eyes flittered open but were unfocused. I could tell he was probably closer to my age, 14 or 15.

"I got ya," I tried to assure him as I half carried him out of his cell. I took note and realized no one else was alive in the remaining cells. I made my way back to the others and found the last kid being pulled up into the vent. That only left the teen boy in my arms and Tracey who I hesitated in letting out of her cell. I, with some trouble pushed the groaning teen up into the vent. As much as I wanted to shut him up, I knew he was probably not aware of what was even going on. I pulled my self up after him. Dragging him as quickly and quietly as I could through the vents. At some point I just slapped a hand over his mouth to keep his noise down. It lightweight irritated me that he hardly put up a struggle though I appreciated the quiet. Poor kid probably figured he was being toted off to his death.

I made it to the exit vent. I jumped out and nearly fell on top of one of the kids.

"Is there anyone left?" It was the first kid that talked to me before. I felt proud of him for waiting up.

"Did the others get away?" I asked ignoring his question and pulled the dazed teen out with me.

"They ran into the woods," the boy said pointing out into the woods that enclosed the building. "We don't know where to go," he said quickly. I huffed, not knowing where they should go either, mainly because I didn't know where we were. I pulled the teen out completely. He was lanky. "I got him," the boy said and I looked at him curiously.

"He's heavy," I said but the boy ignored me and took the teen (who was taller than him) from my arms. With a tiny grunt he lifted the boy on his shoulders and I stopped my jaw from dropping.

"The supp-super-"

"Suppressant," I supplied again.

"Yeah, it wears off every few days. I can't shift but some of my strength is coming back.," the boy explained only slightly hunched from the weight of the teen.

"What's your shift?" I asked curiously.

"Gorilla," he said and I grinned briefly before patting the boy on the head.

"Stick together, head toward a city. We have to hope Caius won't risk exposure to get to you. Lots of humans are probably your best cover right now. If you get followed it may help to split up but whatever you do get out of the woods." The boy gave me a quick nod before trotting off with the teen over his shoulder. When he disappeared into the woods I climbed back into the vent.

I crawled back quickly, intent on getting Tracey out, knowing she would probably be more of a hassle. I jumped through the vent and landed on my feet. I turned quickly to Tracey's cell. It was empty.

Crap

Even though I knew her cell was empty, I checked and double checked purely out of panic. There was no way she got out on her own, which meant that someone had come for her. And whoever that was had to know that the other prisoners had escaped.

At this realization, I'd expected some alarms and sirens to go off, signaling an escape but none came. It was as quiet as before. And really, as far as I knew, the only bad guys here was Caius, that hooded guard, and possibly Amon. This wasn't much of a head start for the kids if the baddies are in pursuit already. I was confused but knew I had to think quickly.

"What to do, what to do…" I murmured giving into the need to pace. I figured trying to find Tracey and Tre by roaming this mysterious building was out. I glanced up at the vent. Then looked at the door. Without a second thought I pulled myself back into the vent. It made more sense to scurry through the vent system than on foot.

…at the time it did.

Instead of following the path that led outside I crawled the opposite direction. Dust invaded my lungs once again and my throat tightened up as I fought the need to cough. It took nearly 5 minutes of weaving around corners before I came up on another vent opening that led to a room. I only noticed because I heard a muffled sound coming form the room.

Upon reaching the vent, I peeked through the grating. This room was brighter than the prison. There were tables and machines. I noticed the abundance of sharp medical utensils. Then I heard the sound from before. It was a cry.

I quickly dislodged the vent grating shoving it to the side. I quickly lowered myself into the room. I wanted to strangle myself when I looked up at the source of the cries.

In the middle of one of the tables, strapped down was brownish red hair, lightly tanned skin, in the body of a baby. My imprint.

I couldn't see her eyes from this angle but her terrified cries were piercing my heart. Part of me, a selfish part wanted to leave her, but she was probably only weeks old. I'd be worse than Caius kidnapping her if I simply left her. But her rescue was going to be careful. I tip toed over to her bedside. Focusing on the too big straps used to keep her on the table. I studiously avoided looking at her face. I couldn't risk locking eyes with those baby brown pools. Her cries dwindled into whimpers. When I released her, I quickly picked her up, making sure her face was buried into my shoulder. I rubbed her back in what I assumed was a soothing manner, (well it always worked with Jared and Kim's little girl), and glanced around quickly. The girl, Jada, calmed considerably in my arms. The real question was, would she stay that way and for how long if I had to crawl through the vents with her.

Unfortunately at that moment the door clicked open.

* * *

**A/N**: okay so I was MIA for months. Then I reappeared to post a one shot and explained the situation kinda. My jump drive corrupted all my files. This chapter in particular I dislike now because I've had to re-write it at least a dozen times (not exaggerating) and each time it gets worse and worse. The best version was the first one that was lost to the jump drive. So this story was supposed to be done back in like august so I'm gonna finish it before this year is out. YOU HEARD ME before the year is out. There should only be a few chaps left and an epilogue (which I wrote while still working on Til Imprint). Hope someone is still reading. And no Leo did not imprint on Jada, he just already knows she's his imprint (see the last chapter of Leonard's Ballad)


	69. Leonard's Reprise:20

"Emileah?" I gasped noticing her in a crouch ready to pounce on me when she entered. She looked shocked for a moment before quickly moving to my side.

"Jesus, Leo give someone a heart attack will ya?" she said reaching for the child in my arms. I didn't relinquish her and Emileah gave me a weird look.

"Did you-"

"No," I said knowing she probably thought I'd already made the bond with the child. How weak did she think I was? "I never will but I can only guarantee she wont lock eyes with me if I'm the one holding her." Call me a control freak. Emileah accepted my response. "How did you get here?"

"I followed the dimprint but on the way we found the others," she explained quickly.

"The others? Where's Sahara?" I asked noticing our other sister hadn't popped through the door after Emileah.

"I found god mom, the vamps, Collin. Funny story how we all met up."She didn't elaborate further. "Sare's currently pretending to be me. Apparently Caius has dibs on the fact that a vampire-wolf-shifter hybrid child is born but he can't be bothered to verify that there are indeed two half wolf half panther shifters," Emileah snorted. "Idiot." Then her face turned serious again. "But what happened to you? I figured you'd be on a savage trail for flesh right about now."

"I didn't take Alcaeus up on his offer," I said feeling ashamed even now for considering letting a werewolf bite me. "I couldn't do that to you two. I couldn't live with myself if I took that risk and it all turned out for naught." Emileah nodded her head impatiently.

"Good, but we're gonna have to discuss your life choices later," she said then noticed the open vent where I emerged from. "You know how to get out through that way?" I nodded. "Let's go," she said and grabbed my free wrist to pull me but I didn't move. "What are you-"

"Tre's here," I said quietly and it felt like Emileah stopped breathing. She looked back towards the door. I could see the struggle on her face. She had been waiting months on news of her father. And to know he was in this very building, I knew she couldn't pass up the opportunity to save him.

"You get her out," Emileah pointed towards Jada who had remained silent this whole time save for the gurgling she'd been doing that resulted in lots of saliva rolling down my chest. "I'll find dad," she turned to leave but I grabbed her arm.

"Em, he gave himself up for me," she winced at my words. I briefly described the conversation I had with him, leaving out the heart warming parts. "It didn't look good." She was angry I could tell. She wasn't going to give into despair. I felt bad about telling her this but I wasn't going to let another member of my family simply walk off to their death. "We should go-"

"No!" she whispered fiercely and yanked her arm out of my grip. "He's not dead! I won't let him!" And before I could respond again she sprinted out of the room. I cursed but my attention was drawn towards the girl in my arms. I should flee with the girl but I couldn't leave them all out there. Where was everyone else anyway while Emileah was playing sneak?

"You wanna play backup J.T?" I asked to the baby in my arms. Predictably she just gurgled happily into my shoulder before attempting to gum me to death. I took that as an affirmative, tightening my grip on her and running after Emileah.

It was a quick trip, I could feel some of my senses coming back such as my heightened sense of smell. I followed Emileah's trail. I turned a corner and found her sprinting silently down a very long corridor. The walls and floor were caked in dirt. I ran as fast as I could without jostling Jada, keeping my hand securely on her head the entire time. As I drew closer I realized Emileah had stopped running, her face peering through a glass pane on a door.

"What do you see?" I asked from behind her.

"They're in there," she whispered back. "Everyone." I forced my face to the glass as well, pushing Emileah halfway out the way she protested only a little.

The room was big. I could make out everyone. They were lower than us. Probably a flight or two, looking up. I could make out god mom, Brady, Collin, Uncle Seth, Aunt Tamyra…groan Jacob, and his vampires. They were all tense and they were yelling up towards someone but I couldn't make out their words. I tilted my head at an odd angle to see what they were looking at.

It was Caius, and he had a captive. I instantly knew by the fidgeting and anxiety that it was Tracey locked in his steel arms. To his right was the crazed look of Amon. His silver eyes were wild and had it not been for the strong chain latched to his neck (the other end was wrapped around Caius' arm like a leash) I knew he'd probably tearing through everyone. To his other side was a tense looking Tre. From what I could see he wasn't physically bound by anything but he didn't look as if he were moving to the others anytime soon. It hurt to see him on the wrong side of the line but I was happy he wasn't dead yet. They were standing on a ledge close to the ceiling.

"Can you hear them?" I asked figuring my heightened hearing hadn't come back yet. Emileah nodded.

"Edward just asked Caius why he has an alliance with the werewolves when he hates them. Caius is saying that he realized the werewolves are not a threat, they're his _brothers in arms_. That shape shifters are abominations. He's ignoring the pack, only talking to the vampires. " Emileah paused to listen some more.

"He's trying to convince the vampires to join him, to turn on the others. Dr. Cullen refused on behalf of everyone. Mom just threatened to rip Caius' head off and stuff it up his butt." I shook my head in mild amusement until I saw Caius react to god mom's threat. He pulled Tracey closer to him, wrapping a hand around her throat. I panicked wondering if they could tell that was one of our own.

"Dr. Cullen is trying to be judicial as always. " Emileah rolled her eyes as she said this. "He's proposing a truce if Caius releases the prisoners."

"Little does he know the prisoners have escaped," I whispered back and Emileah glanced at me. Is that surprise I see in her eyes, and even a little admiration?

"Nice going Uley," she said before turning back to the glass. The slight smile on her face disappeared and she frowned suddenly.

"What's going on?"

"Caius is agreeing, kind of," she paused and the more she listened the deeper her frown became. I tried looking at various postures to see if it would give me a clue as to what was disturbing Emileah so much but to no avail. There was some louder growling. "He's telling them to make a choice."

"What choice? He's outnumbered."

"The girl or dad," she said tensely.

"That girl is Tracey," Emileah looked at me puzzled. "Tracey from the reservation." Recognition alighted in her eyes.

"She really was missing," she said but before I could question her she started pacing and running her hands through her hair. "The vents have to lead to that room."

"What are you gonna do?"

"Save my dad,"

"Em, you can't be impulsive like that. Caius could kill Tracey easily if we try something."

"What makes him think that girl means anything to us? Especially now that she's tainted by whatever poison he's concocted." Her tone told me that she was completely serious. Even though we valued human life, protecting it, she didn't care. Tracey didn't even seem human anymore, and her father was part of the equation. I put a hand on her shoulder.

"Em," was all I said but it was easy to convey to her my words. She had the decency to look halfway ashamed but I knew she was hurting. She wanted her father safe and so did I. But Tracey was innocent, and I wanted her safe as well.

Emileah's eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it?"

"He's telling dad something," she began then her face turned to one of disgust. "Caius is telling him to phase. Ordering him to."

"But he cant," I explained. "He's -the suppressant," I protested. "Wait, how do you know about Caius' experiments.

"Everyone's been throwing ideas around. The vampires, the pack, the Haven, everyone. We kinda came to the conclusion on our own. Plus I can smell that vile mixture through this whole building. It's in dad's blood too." My eyes widened in alarm.

"Do I-"

"No you're not infected with it, but I can sense your weakness. Your wolf is being subdued." I sighed in relief.

"What about Tre? Can you sense anything from him?" Emileah remained silent and I thought she was going to ignore me.

"It's hard to tell. I'm not good at reading panthers yet. But I can tell something is wrong." She glanced down at Jada. "Who right now is the closest to having the perfect balance between the three species?" It only took me a moment to glance down at the slobbering baby in my arms as well.

Human, vampire, and shifter.

"But she's not a werewolf."

"Doesn't matter, she's the closest naturally. One alteration, it'll kill her or she'd be a machine. A monster. What force could reckon with her on earth?" Emileah's serious tone made my stomach drop. This innocent thing in my arms could be a monster. And Caius is using, has probably already used her to make something worse.

"Mom and dad are talking," she whispered still looking through the glass.

"What are they saying?"

"I don't know, but they're speaking with their eyes, I think they opened up their mental connection."

"Can't you hear them?"

"No," she had to stop herself before she banged on the door in frustration. "because I'm in a separate pack with you." This was spiraling out of control really fast. I could tell more people were adding to the discussion but I couldn't take my focus off Tre. When the wolves shift it's always an explosion, somehow violent even when it starts to feel natural. But the panthers, their shift is more sleek and continual. Right now Tre was transforming but it was anything but smooth and cat like.

His muscles were twitching and his face was stuck in a grimace of what I suspected was pain. He doubled over on all fours with a jerk. Then the screaming began. The transformation was so agonizingly slow that I swore I could feel the pain as well. His face transformed and the screams turned into hisses. I had to tear my eyes away. Our side looked livid. Godmom was shaking and although Uncle Seth had a hand on her shoulder, he didn't look much better.

"Emileah-" I hissed when I saw her scratching into the door in anger, her teeth were barred. She was ready to attack. I glanced down and saw of all people Edward staring straight at me. He slowly shook his head as if stopping me from doing something. Then I realized we probably hadn't been discovered yet. Of course he'd want his granddaughter safe.

Finally Tre had transformed but it didn't seem like him. His eyes were blood red, no white to be seen. His panther form was way too muscled and huge. He really did look like a monster, then I realized how much of an understatement his whole "I'm losing some control" was.

Amon was growling at him. It looked like the two were going to start fighting. Caius was completely unfazed by there aggressiveness. He had this sickening smile on his face.

Suddenly Emileah hissed harshly.

"What-"

"He's treating him like a slave." She pointed to where Caius was now bending down to pet Tre with one hand, the other keeping a hold on Tracey. "I'm going to kill him," she said seriously.

I saw Amon lunge for Tre. They collided and rolled to the edge of the ledge they'd all been standing on. Tre swiped at Amon's face just as Caius released the werewolf's leash. The two huge bodies fell until they hit on the same level as the others. The vampires seemed frozen but the pack stepped forward. Jacob was the first to phase. He, being the largest of the wolves, tried to step in and separate them much to the Cullen's dismay. Uncle Seth backed him up, prompting Brady and Collin to do the same. I could see Godmom getting closer but she didn't phase.

"What's she doing?" I asked Emileah.

"Trying to talk dad down." It didn't look like it was doing any good. Tre was ignoring the others. Jacob finally got a hold of a tail and yanked. Unfortunately it had been Tre's. He stumbled and hissed at the russet wolf giving Amon a free opportunity to attack.

"Idiot!" Emileah hissed. Tre started to get pummeled. I didn't understand why Black would do something so stupid. "He distracts him then he backs up. They're afraid of getting bit by Amon. Cowards, dad needs help." Tre was getting tired, it was obvious but Amon was not letting up. If anything it looked like he was not going to stop until he had completely thrashed the panther.

"Terrance!" I jumped when the cry suddenly reached my ears. I knew it was god mom's voice which meant my hearing was coming back. If my phasing came back soon, I'd go down there and help Tre myself. Amon knocked Tre on his back then quickly set his sights on god mom. He swiped at her but Jacob barreled in and knocked him back. He quickly recovered and shouldered into Jacob sending him sprawling. Uncle Seth, Collin, and Brady lunged onto the werewolf's back but he didn't seem phased by their attacks. Aunt Tamyra ran to Tre's side but he snapped at her. He was in bad shape if he couldn't recognize his own sister.

"I wouldn't get so close to my pets if I were you," I heard Caius suggest surprised I could hear him at all over all the growls filling the room. It didn't make sense why everyone else was just standing around.

Then I heard the crunch of metal before Emileah kicked the door in. All at once it seemed she jumped over a railing outside the door and phased. She ran straight for Amon as did Sahara who had also phased. They both chose their stronger wolf forms. I was surprised when their attack actually seemed to slow Amon down. Godmom took the chance to run to Tre. He snapped at her as well but she kept her hand in his fur soon he settled down. He must have begun to recognize her but his form was still shaking with pent up rage.

"What are you doing with my prize?" I gasped when I realized Caius had spotted me, or rather Jada in my arms. His eyes blackened and in a moment he was standing on the landing in front of me, Tracey still squirming in his arms. "Give her to me!"

I backed up. I was no where near enough strength yet to fight him off. He reached out and grabbed my neck. It hurt. Bad. My vision began blurring-

"Catch him!" I was released and was thankful Jada was still in my arms. Caius hissed as Jasper appeared behind him. In the same moment that I was thankful for salvation I shuddered because Caius twisted Tracey's neck viciously, nearly ripping her head from her body. Blood sputtered and he threw the body at Jasper who was momentarily distracted enough for Caius to escape. Edward appeared next trying to pull his brother from Tracey's body.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I could still hear the struggle going on in the room. I could hear Jasper and Edward's feet disappear down the hall, chasing after a fleeing Caius. I could only focus on Tracey's prone body as the puddle of body widened around her head. Then Jada started crying and I snapped back to reality.

"Leonard?" I hadn't realized Carlisle was standing above me. "Are you severely injured anywhere?" I shook my head but my eyes couldn't focus.

Tracey was dead.

How many times had I shrugged off death because of my parents? And then I watch a friend get killed right in front of me and…and…

"Leonard?" His fingers snapped in front of me. Another vampire appeared behind him. I vaguely recognized her as Tanya. Carlisle turned back to her. "I fear he's going into shock." I wanted to tell him I wasn't but I couldn't make any of my muscles move.

"The werewolf fled before he could be beaten," she said. "I'll watch over him. They may need some help in controlling Leah's mate. Kate's form of subjugation seems to anger her pack." Carlisle nodded before running off. Tanya bent to my level. She held out her hands, ready to take Jada from me, but I tightened my hold and shook my head. It took a lot more energy than I expected. She frowned and tried again but I wouldn't let her. Jada didn't seem to want to go to her anyway. "You are stubborn, young Leo," she said teasingly, content to sit next to me. Jada busied herself by trying to dig her little fingers into my arm.

"Wha-" I cleared my pained throat. "What are they doing?" I asked Tanya after a few moments.

"Your mother and sister are trying to calm your father down. Edward was listening to his mind. In his current form, a lot of what makes him human is lost. It is why he was fighting his change so hard. The fight seemed to only speed up the process. The longer he stays in that form, the harder it will be to get him to change back."

"I should try-"

"No," she said quickly. "I'm not sure you realize how weak you are right now. Your shifting has been reduced to the point that you're beginning to smell almost human again." I gulped. My senses had been coming back but apparently not as quickly as I thought. "It would be better if you were kept out of danger."

"Where's Leo?" I heard the thud as someone landed on the landing outside the now broken door. It was Collin, with Brady behind him. They spotted me instantly and made their way over as Tanya stood up. "Kid, you alright?"

"Yeah," I whispered as Collin pulled me to my feet. Jada whimpered at the sudden movement. "How's Tre doing?"

"Leah got him to stop attacking us," Collin said quickly.

"Emileah's trying to work her magic on him," Brady explained. My eyes snapped back to Collin. "Collin doesn't exactly approve."

"It's her father, I'm not gonna stand in the way of her saving him. She saved me didn't she?" He snapped but it felt like he was trying to convince himself more than explain to us. "Doesn't mean I have to watch."

"Tre's not all gone," I said trying to placate them. "He won't hurt Emileah. It's his daughter. I talked to him before and he…he gave himself up for me. He's still in there." No one spoke outside of Jada's gibberish.

"We lost him," came Edward's voice moments later. He was retuning down the hall from where he and Jasper had run off to chase down Caius. His frown deepened. "Looks like Jake, Emmett, Alice, and Garret had no better luck with the werewolf."

"No good," Tanya muttered solemnly.

"Nothing we can do about that now. We have to clear this place out before humans come in. There was a lot of noise and the closest town isn't too far off."

"The kids," I gasped. "They escaped into the woods, I told them to find a town for cover."

"Good work kid," Collin said. "We'll need to go retrieve them as well.

"You should stay, they'll need help keeping Tre under control. We'll go after the children," Edward replied.

"They won't trust you," I said quickly. "They've been held captive by vampires for months. They know me. I'll get them."

"You're far too weak to go alone Leonard."

"Then come with me," I snapped at the vampires. "But follow my lead. It's obvious I'm not help here any way." Edward's hand came down on my shoulder with more force than I expected (and what he probably intended).

"You protected my granddaughter with your life. I could never be more thankful of you than now." I felt somewhat embarrassed and ashamed by his praise so I simply nodded. I'm sure he could hear my _inner _thoughts about his granddaughter but he probably could only focus on the fact she was alive. "I'm sorry about your friend." The others were blocking Tracey's body from my view but I had no desire to see it again. The image was branded in my mind anyway.

"Me too."

"My sister and I will find a place to properly bury her while you find the children," Tanya said softly.

"Mmmma-" I glanced down confused when Jada started to…well whatever she was doing that resembled attempting to speak. "Mmma….mmmy…..mine. Mine." She began pounding her tiny fists on me as she began her chant.

"She can speak?" I asked surprised and looked to Edward.

"Random words. She connects things in her head but it takes her sometime to form words. She probably heard… someone say it many times and has been trying to mimic it for a while.

"Mine! Mine! Mine!"

"It was Caius," I said causing the vampires to hiss in disgust. "He called her his prize. Who knows what he's been saying to her all this time. To those kids."

"Which is why we should go get them as soon as possible," Collin cut in. Jasper and Edward nodded in agreement.

"Mine!"

"I'll take her to Alice, so that you all can get a move on," Tanya said reaching for Jada. This time I relinquished my hold but Jada had other ideas.

"No! Mine!" She tried to grasp onto me harder when Tanya reached around her midsection. Tanya looked apologetic not wanting to use too much force to pull the baby away from me. This caused Edward to step in.

"Jada, you need to let go," he said in more of a coo.

"No! Mine! Mine!"

"She's probably latching onto him because no one has held her lovingly for weeks," Jasper suggested. I wanted to grimace at his use of 'lovingly'. I didn't miss the look Collin and Brady shot at each other.

"Jada, sweetheart-"

"Mine! Mine! Mine!" She started crying when Edward expertly slipped her from my grasp.

"Perhaps you should take her to Jacob, he should be able to calm his daughter down better than any of us," Edward suggested to Tanya.

"Noooo! Mine! Mine! No papa! Mine!" I turned away as soon as Edward grabbed her. I couldn't risk looking into those eyes. Apparently Collin took it to mean something else.

"Leo did you-?"

"Do what?" I was snapping at everyone today.

"You know," Brady cut in. "Do the deed?"

"No. I didn't imprint." I spelled out slowly as Jada's cries dwindled as Tanya took her Jacob no doubt.

"But I thought-"

"I didn't look at her. Her eyes at least." I began walking down the hall. "Well are we leaving?" Edward and Jasper followed me.

It felt strange. I was leading two vampires, stuck somewhere between human and shifter. I had thought this would be a happy ending. Where I should hear my sisters' cries of joy-

"Sare, help your dad hold his hind legs, Mom's gonna keep his head steady!"

"I'm trying Emi, he keeps lashing out!"

I only heard their screams as they tried to get Tre under control. Where I should see children and humans crying in relief from being rescued I could only see the doors to cells where many lay dead. There should have been howls of victory

"Watch his teeth, sis! We don't know what that werewolf venom may have done to him."

"It's not like he has rabies, Seth. Jake! Give your kid to Myra or Bella and help us pin him down would ya?"

but there were only the vicious sounds coming from the monster acting as Tre's panther. I'd only taken about four steps before I broke down and cried. I fell to my knees without a sound, exhausted, and mentally spent. I knew I should pull myself together. If Emileah saw me right now she'd call me weak.

Where my mother should have been comforting me were two vampires each awkwardly patting one of my shoulders.

"Should I calm him?"

"No, I think he needs this release."

Soon the sounds and grotesque smells faded away. My vision faded and all I could hear was my heartbeat. It was fast and steady. The beat to my life. A song that felt like it had been going on forever, but really had just begun.

Had it really only been a few months since I first phased? Since I was hating myself because I wasn't a wolf? I felt aged. The others had been dealing with this for years. How do you just go back to being a teenager after seeing this type of death and destruction? How does Sahara go back to her bubbly self after missions like this or Emileah go back to teasing people for silly things?

It was like something had broke within me.

Was I having an out of body experience?

I felt…like I was losing myself.

"_Okay okay! When I grow up I'm gonna be a pretty princess with a big castle and a fairy godmother who's going to give me everything I want!" Sahara cried in glee as she fell backwards into a big pile of leaves._

"_Why do you need a godmother if you're a princess?" Emileah asked with her arms crossed. "You should already have everything you want!"_

"_Oh right," she said with a contemplative look on her face. She looked up at me, as I sat in a tree. "What are you gonna be when you grow up, Leo?"_

"_What about me?" Emileah shrieked in annoyance. Sahara waved her off._

"_Everyone knows what you're gonna be, Emi, a fierce warrior princess like Zena!" _

"_Why do I have to be a princess at all?"_

"'_Cause Uncle Tre spoils you. And Aunt Leah doesn't spank you half as many times as she should."_

"_Why you little-" Emileah dived into the pile of leaves and wrestled with Sahara. I smiled down at them while kicking my legs in the air._

"_Well I'm gonna be a strong wolf, like my dad," I said when they finally settled down. "And I'm gonna keep all our families safe. And I'm gonna get married and have a woman wife and we're gonna have lots of kids! And the boys are all gonna grow up and become strong wolves too. But they won't have to fight much because by the time they grow up I will have fought off all the evil in the world because I'm their dad. And that's what dads do."_

"_That's so sweet Leo," Sahara gushed. "I hope my husband says the same exact thing!"_

"_Well you two can go off and have your happy marriages. I'm never getting married! Men eat too much. And they smell funny," Emileah exclaimed causing Sahara to laugh. _

"_Do not!" I said feeling offended._

"_Do to!" The girls countered. I responded by jumping from the tree and chasing them around for hours._

"It's you!" I looked up and saw the boy from the prison. The gorilla shifter, he was running from a diner as we stood on the street. It was night time and I hadn't even paid attention as we walked to the town. I could see a woman in the diner on the phone looking at the boy as he ran out to us. Edward moved inside to explain to her. The boy latched around my legs. "I told everyone to hide in different places. I didn't know where else to go!"

"You did good, kid." I patted his head and he smiled.

"I'm glad you're back!" He put more pressure into the hug. "Thank you for saving us!"

"Don't mention it, kiddo. That's what I'm supposed to do." It was genuine smiles like the one he had that would probably keep me going for the rest of my life.

This wasn't the end. So I couldn't give up.

* * *

**A/N:** 12/29/2010 Okay so I lied. This is the last chap. I was gonna break it up but it had no smooth breakpoint so yeah. Next is the epilogue which I'll post sometime tomorrow. I haven't gotten any better at endings :p I will post some extras/other POVs only because I wrote a few. And if you were really confused by what was going on in this chapter, wait until the epilogue, it may clear some things up otherwise ask me and I'll clarify. I would have responded to reviews/updated earlier but my laptop got confiscated by family members for the past like 4 days lol. I'm hungry, I want some Chipotle.


	70. Epilogue

_Dear Father and Mother,_

_It has been nearly a century since we communicated last. In that time I've physically aged only about a year or so. I've watched family, pack, and friends grow old, find love, and die. I've watched rulers fall and young come to lead…_

_Perhaps I should start at the beginning of the end._

_When I had ran with my pack, of Emileah, Sahara, and Collin, I'd always thought that it would lead to an end. That Tre would be found and returned to Leah's side and all would be well again. But when we had discovered the allegiance between Caius, long time loather of werewolves with those very creatures, I realized that it was not an end but a beginning._

_The world is in turmoil. Torn apart by war. We had returned home, to Washington after Emileah taking her father's head in her hands and willing him to come back to us. To become the panther he was and not this out of control hybrid that Caius had forced him to be._

_She had succeeded in bringing him back to life. Sure, she had done the same thing with Collin, and attempted to do so with Old Quil, but they were wolves. She had never honed her skills to include panthers. It was a task that proved to be impossible to repeat. _

_I had refused to look Jacob and Renesmee's daughter in the eye. She would be my undoing. I would not be another Jacob Black, forever bound to leeches. And once the child had been saved from Caius' clutches, Emileah ignored the dimprint that bound her to the small child as well. _

_Though that choice proved to be a hard one. Her bond to the child would remain so long as I refused to imprint on her. We discovered that she did not have the resolve to ignore both the dimprint and her own imprint._

_She gave in to Collin. Sahara and Emileah had a double wedding on their 20th birthdays. The wedding wasn't held in LaPush since Embry refused to overturn Emileah's banishment. _

_Terrance Adam Foster III was a ring bearer along with his "brother" Emery Call. They were coupled off with the flower girls Jada Taylor Black and Emily Ateara. _

_For as much as I tried to ignore the little girl who was affectionately called "J.T", Hunter always had such a close eye on little Emily. _

_Only two weeks later war had broken out. Caius had taken over news stations and tv channels all over the world for 14 minutes and 23 seconds to tell the world the existence of the supernatural._

_And he did it by waltzing into a cathedral and murdering a hundred and fifty souls that had attended mid day mass._

_Their screams and cries of death and torture was all I heard for weeks. I can still hear them to this day in my dreams._

_It was then that we learned, Caius was not working alone. That he had single handedly destroyed the Volturi. He had taken only Jane and Alec with him. The wives had followed Marcus into isolation. Felix had followed Demetri when he tried to seek out Alcaeus and his werewolf wife._

_Aro had shown up in Canada._

_The Cullens say he put up no fight, that his eyes were wild and crazed and that his final wish was to see the happiness of their family and the destruction he had wrought on them. After he had touched them all to see their memories Carlisle had offered him a change in lifestyle. Aro said he was too dangerous to not betray them and asked to be torn to pieces and burned as Didyme once was. _

_Jacob had done the honors._

_Caius though, had become public enemy number one. Besides the powerful twins formerly of the Volturi guard he had acquired the following of the remnants of the werewolves, the true Children of the Moon. Promising them a future in leadership alongside the vampires, their once brethren. Most consented, all except those loyal to Alcaeus and his pack. _

_Caius' new enemies became us shape shifters. He unleashed his new hybrid venom on the world. Kidnapping humans to turn them into these dangerous monsters that were part vampire part werewolf and part shapes shifter. They could appear human._

_Though in a year, the amount of time it takes a newborn vampire to lose their newborn strength, it takes for an ultra hybrid to lose its humanity. They were too unbalanced._

_They became nothing more than enslaved soldiers, drones, pawns for the Vampire-Lycan Alliance. They were kept on leashes like pets then unleashed to destroy._

_The humans went into hiding realizing too late that their blood always gave them away. They were helpless. Shape shifters tried to protect them. But where there was a highly concentrated scent of shape shifter blood meant that there was a high number of humans being protected. _

_The shape shifters were torn between protecting the humans and going on the offensive._

_It caused a rift in the ranks. Some saying that the humans should fend for themselves, that we had a better chance of ending the war sooner if we left them be, attacked Caius and his followers then came back afterwards and helped re-establish the world with whoever survived._

_I had wavered. _

_Emileah had brought me back. She told me that I was Quileute wolf and my first priority was to protect human life. _

_She said: "That's what Sam would have done."_

_I listened to her, as had LaPush and the panthers. Or what was left of them._

_When I had briefly returned to Clarice's pack after our excursion I was met with a split pack mingled with domestic issues._

_Jay, Clarice's husband and alpha male had been the one to give Caius the locations of the Havens and checkpoints._

_He said it had been to protect her. That Caius promised he'd bring no harm to his wife if he supplied the answers. _

_Jay said so firmly. Clarice had been enraged and split from him. Their children were torn between who to follow. The unwed men had followed Jay, everyone else followed Clarice. _

_That was after Tre had nearly killed Jay, had it not been for my, Leah's and Jay's son's intervention. Clarice hadn't moved, so infuriated that she later admitted she wouldn't have cared had he died._

_It was with that one statement that I wondered how I ever thought I loved her._

_It took a few decades before Caius launched an attack on Washington. The packs had been spread thin. He had distracted us, letting out his creations on parts in the East while a group of well trained vampires were going to swipe us from behind._

_We'd left only 5 wolves in LaPush, to try and take down 30 vampires let lose on Forks and Olympia. _

_Of the 5 wolves, 1 was killed. They took down 27 of the vampires. _

_Emery, being stuck as a strong human that was in essence a shape shifter without the ability to shift, had killed a vampire by himself before ushering LaPush to safety. _

_Paul was an 87 year old man the time. He had been laying by Rachel's side, she was on her deathbed while her four sons were all fighting for their lives. One of the vampires had reached LaPush and was outside his home. _

_Paul, long since retired had phased out of sheer anger that anything would dare disrupt his wife's last hours, he pulled his old wolf out and tore through that 120 year old vampire like he was nothing._

_Paul died from exhaustion twenty minutes after Rachel took her last breath. Three days prior, Jason had found his parents dead together in their bed side by side. _

_Quil had never really gotten the hang of not phasing. They said he took Old Quil's death really hard. He hadn't been the same since. Claire was worried because she was in her 70s yet Quil had only aged to about 40 physically. _

_Claire ended up outliving Quil by 25 years. He had been the wolf that died when the attack came. He had been protecting Detrick, one of his pack mates. Claire wasn't the same those last 25 years of her life, though I visited her frequently just to keep her mind straight. It was around 5 years before she died that she'd forgotten her best seller, "In Like with Life". _

_Embry was the last to go. He still held the position of Chief though Emery had long since taken the alpha position over the LaPush pack with Jason as his beta and Pablo as his third. _

_His disappearance wasn't quite clear. Tenia had been 98 years old. She started hemorrhaging badly. When the doctor checked her out, they discovered that she had somehow gotten pregnant (long after she should have gone through menopause) but her body was rejecting the pregnancy. She died after losing nearly 5 pints of blood. Embry had gone silent for 3 days after that then suddenly Jacob Black appeared at the LaPush hideout. He knocked on the door Embry had locked himself in, gone in and was leaving with his brother in his arms 20 minutes later. No one said a word and Emery had lashed out at his father and uncle. He was phased by his animalistic crouched though he was still in human form. Jacob had simply turned to his nephew and said it was Embry's choice._

_Jacob resurfaced 2 years later reunited with the Cullens. Embry was never seen again._

_I should know I had been the one to run into him. I yelled out of loyalty to Emery, and Jacob had taken it. His pack now ironically made entirely of vampires, growled at me but did nothing to stop my verbal onslaught. I tried to press my luck and hit Jacob Black square in the face._

_That was when she stopped me. _

_Jada had reached and held my arm. I hadn't noticed her and I cursed myself silently when I made contact. She had the saddest look on her face and I could feel every ounce of turmoil she'd felt for years. Before I could even come to terms with the imprint that I had long since neglected to initialize it felt like it disappeared. And Jada simply turned to her family and bid them farewell._

_Then she turned to me and asked to join my pack. _

_I had been right when I said I wasn't going to be another Jacob Black._

_It wouldn't be for another two months when she would tell me of her ability to cloak imprint bonds._

_My pack increased. It was me, my beta had been Hunter until he ceased phasing to be with Emily Ateara, it was now Paul Junior. Emileah was alpha female with Sahara as her beta. Collin, Brady, and Paulis were also part of our pack even if we were split up across the globe._

_We were ambushed almost 30 years ago by a group of werewolves. The battle had been bloody and at the time, Leah and Tre were still alphas. _

_Leah was bitten by the alpha of the werewolves. She grabbed Tre and said she was born a shape shifter she wasn't going to die any other way. He had been agonized before lifting her he ran to me and said to lead them and then he left. _

_Within hours Leah and Tre disappeared from our thoughts. When we went to Ohio to inform Seth and Tamyra who had given up the family business and were coordinating shape shifters in that region, we discovered that they had disappeared and were no longer in our thoughts as well._

_We thought them dead. Sahara had mourned her parents and aunt and uncle then grabbed Brady and left to join one of the fertility camps even though I strongly disapproved of that choice. Emileah refused to mourn not believing that her parents were dead. She had left in the middle of the night that same year though her disappearing act wasn't as successful._

_Collin had followed her._

_He wrote a note saying that even in marriage she still avoids him. _

_He has been contacting us for years as he follow her endless trail, he literally was following her to the ends of the earth. And back again. Many times over._

_Then something strange happened. He stopped sending._

_And a year later, Caius was destroyed. As were Jane and Alec. The attack had not been orchestrated by any of our known associates. _

_It sent the vampires under Caius into chaos. Most didn't want to fall willingly under Amon, Caius' right hand werewolf and it sparked a civil war in their ranks. _

_P.J. had said this was the ideal time to attack, I'd agreed as did my wife, J.T. We were on our way to regroup with Jacob Black's pack, Clarice's pack, and any other former Haven group that was sympathetic to our cause. This will be our only chance to launch an all out attack and end this war. _

_Though, something still bothers me, sadly I cannot tell you what as this letter could be found by anyone and to expel such secrets could prove fatal if fallen into the wrong hands._

"Babe you done yet?" J.T asked me as I finished up the letter and left it in the space between my parents' graves. I had been surprised that the burial grounds had survived the destruction of the war. It was mildly ironic.

"Yeah just finished. Have you heard from P.J?" I asked and she nodded.

"Just now, he says, my dad and grandfather are on their way." She shivered as a gust of wind blew through. "You think we can really do this?" She asked with a youthful fear.

"We have to." I kissed her knuckles. She pulled me into an embrace. I dwelled in the moment, appreciative that I could start out as her friend and then grow to love her naturally. It made the imprint that much stronger when she did allow the supernatural bond to flow between us unhindered. After a long moment she pulled away.

"You said there was something you needed to tell me." I looked away, staring into the horizon. I breathed in the distant beach air mixed with sea and forest. Then I turned back to my imprint and wife. We had yet to have children, making a promise that we wouldn't bring children into the world until it was purged of this war.

"I think I know who killed Caius." Her breath hitched and she looked deep into my eyes studying me. She started to question who then gasped.

"Then that means…" She looked surprised. "That means they're alive, Leo if that's true, Leah's alive."

* * *

**A/N: 12/31/2010Okay so that's it. The end**

**This story was huge. A lot longer than I expected. I will be posting a few extra scenes, that will explain some stuff that were mentioned in Leo's final letter. IF you have a request for a scene don't hesitate to ask, it can be in any sensible POV**

**Also THANK YOU to all my readers and especially my reviewers. A few of you have been with me since I started writing DimPrint! It's been a long journey. AND I made my deadline: I said I was gonna finish the story before the year ended. And in my time zone it's still 2010 :p**

**So some other final notes: I am not doing a story that follows this (it would be waaaay too far removed from the original Twilight characters)**

**BUT I was gonna do a Blackwater fic…like I had about a dozen chapters written for it and a handful for its sequel then I saw a story that had a similar premise(I haven't seen it recently so I don't know how it turns out.) Anyways if it has similar aspects to it that I had planned sadly I will not post because I don't wann be accused of copying.**

**BUT BUT I did have another story that I've been writing stuff for. It would be…wait for it….Bree centered. Everyone would be in it…and I do mean practically everyone. It's AU/AH. The main pairing would be Bree/Seth but…it wouldn't be the ultra main focus.**

**Okay I gotta cut this short REMEMBER to leave a review about your fav chapter/character/ any extra scenes/POVs you wanna see**

**Right now I've got a couple Leah, Emileah, older Jada/Tre III/Emery, scenes. OH YEAH and the scene where Seth reveals himself to LeAnn (Tamyra's cousin) (I dunno it made me chuckle when I wrote it) **

**Okay really now I've gotta go to watch night service If I have more to say I'll throw it in with the extra scenes.**

**Happy New Year!**


	71. Song of a Shifter:EXTRAS

Yo Everybody!

Just posting a quick note (didn't i say i wasn't going to do this) to let you know that the EXTRA scenes are being posted in another story because this one is already at 70...sigh 71 now and i don't want it going to like 100 from these sooo scoot over and read: **Song of a Shifter: EXTRAS** if you want and rec some scenes! I've posted one, there are a bunch more that I haven't touched in a while. I'll have to look at reviews and see if you guys said sum already.


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